Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior
by Demon Eyes Laharl
Summary: After witnessing death, Shinji Ikari is taken in by the Saotomes: Kasumi, heir of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and Ranma, of Anything Goes. How will this change him when his father finally calls him?
1. Prologue

The man shifted himself to protect the young child on his back, while he faced off five black figures holding short swords. It was a very dire situation, with feelings running high and rampant. 

The kid behind the man was in a state of shock. Nearly all his new friends, his caretakers, were slaughtered unmercifully by a pack of ninjas. Blood, flowing red blood everywhere. The pool of slaughter was filled, and only he and his uncle remained. "Uncle..."

The man gave him a sharp pinch to stop him from saying more. In situations like these, silence was a must. He knew their intentions, and would defend himself accordingly, but with his nephew behind him... 

One of the figures stepped forward, and had a knife in his or her hand, and he or she bent down, ready to charge. 

"Who sent you," the man asked calmly. The shadow figure seem to take the question in consideration, and gave a short reply. 

"My master orders your death," the figure replied. The voice was feminine. 

"So, he finally snapped," the man replied, bending his knees a bit. With a quick movement, he went to a fighting stance. 

"It is your own fault, that everything had to end this way," the female ninja continued talking. "It is our mission to kill everyone in this household." 

"If you must," the man replied coolly, "but leave my nephew out of this. He is of no concern in this matter." 

The female ninja seem to smirk. "I am afraid it was the master's orders to kill **everyone**, including that puny kid behind you. But he looks young, and trainable. I'm sure the master won't find it difficult for me to get a new slave. Kami-sama knows, the last one didn't last as much as he did." 

The man grimaced. "Keep you pedophilic hands away from my nephew!" 

She gave a short nod, and pointed the man. "Get him, and leave the kid to me. Save the best for last." 

"You will not have my nephew!" the man replied angrily, and dove to action. With 4 ninjas charging towards him, he felt luck that they were going in a single line. They were underestimating him. 

Onno Ikari, brother of Yui Ikari, was old, but not helpless. Being one of the youngest Grandmaster of the Ikari-Ryu Martial Arts, he had practiced, and learnt mostly all of the dangerous style. Using pressure points, he deftly broke the arms of the first attacker, and pushed a fatal hand to the heart, puncturing it. The second came easier, as Onno Ikari dodged the strike aimed to his liver, and gave two light, yet fatal taps to the man's chest. The pressure points were directed towards the heart, stopping the organ at once. Pushing the newly dead ninja, he aimed towards the third and forth one, distracting them. 

The third and fourth ninja jumped away, avoiding the body of their fallen comrade, failing to see two knives fly towards their throats. When they did see it, it was too late. The knives got them in their throats, and the two men died drowning in their own blood. 

But that proved to be the last move of Onno Ikari, as the female ninja used his own distraction to her advantage...

To the boy's shock, the man who had protected him was finally stopped when the female ninja suddenly lunged at unbelievable speed towards the man, short sword in her hand. It was only for a second, but that was enough to kill him, as the female ninja gave a fatal hit, stabbing the older man in the gut. 

"Mission... accomplished," the woman said, and twisted the knife before she took it out. The blade must have hit an artery or two, because blood suddenly sprayed everywhere, covering the boy's shocked face with blood specks. 

"Un... Uncle Onno..." the boy said nervously. Going down on his knees, he slowly shook his uncle's body. "Uncle Onno... Uncle, wake up..." 

"He won't wake up anymore kid," the ninja declared neutrally. The boy looked up, and stared at the woman straight in the face. 

"Why...?" he began. "Why did you kill my uncle?" 

"Nothing personal, kid," the woman replied. "So, what are you going to do?" the woman threw a dagger towards the ground, near the boy's feet. The boy looked at it, curiously, and stared back at the woman. 

"What is this?" he asked. 

"You want to try to defend yourself?" the woman smiled widely. "Its no fun to claim a prize without a fight, no matter how small the fight could be."

"Are you going to kill me too?" the boy asked. 

"No," the smiled turned wicked. "I will take you away, and I will do my best to make you pray that you would wish you had died. Come to me, boy!" 

Before the boy could do anything, he felt a steady hand in his shoulders, clasping him. "Don't," said a male voice. 

The female ninja was surprised as in the shadows behind the boy had hid someone else. The light flickered, and then, it revealed the face of the newcomer. Handsome face, with blue gray eyes, and black hair done in a pig-tail, the woman cursed. 

"Saotomes," the ninja took a step back. "Damn." 

"Damn is quite correct," a female voice called, and another shadowed figure appeared beside the man. Instead of the face being revealed, a hilt of a katana was revealed first. Then, the face came, and revealed a very beautiful woman with long brown hair. Her face was contorted with coldness as she stared at the ninja. 

"Saotome Kasumi," the ninja cursed silently again. The two best warriors that had allied themselves to the Ikari Clan. The woman knew that she was way over her head if she thought she could fend them off. 

"Leave, before we make you leave," the woman 'Kasumi' declared, unsheathing her sword. 

_It doesn't matter, _the ninja woman thought. _I accomplished my mission. No need to lose my life needlessly. _"You two will get yours someday." 

"It doesn't matter if we get ours, you little flat chested ninja girl," the man insulted. The mentioned ninja girl twitched, and her smile became plastered. The man smirked. "What, insulted?" 

To her credit, she threw a smoke bomb down the ground, and quickly vanished. 

The boy looked at the two new adults. "Uncle Ranma... Auntie Kasumi..." 

The woman smiled sadly towards the little boy. "I'm sorry I'm late, Shinji-kun..." 

++++++++

"So, how is he?" Kasumi asked her husband as the pig-tailed man made his way down the living room. 

"He's going to be okay..." Ranma replied to his wife. He shook his head sadly. "He is still too young to witness death. I think it was placed in his mind forever."

"Should we tell his father?" Kasumi asked. 

"No way I'm telling that bastard what happened," Ranma replied coldly. "Knowing him, he'd just throw his son another place with no questions. That man doesn't care for his own son!" 

"But what are we going to do with him?" Kasumi asked. 

Ranma seem to think about it hard, and twisted his mouth a bit. Then, a bright idea came to mind. "Hey, why don't we take care of him? After all, Ranko needs a sparring partner! We can teach Shinji enough to defend himself, in case someone else comes after him because of his status in the Ikari Clan."

Kasumi smiled at that idea. "Maybe that will work, Ranma! How smart you can be sometimes!" 

Ranma facefaulted. "Oy..."

"But oh my, if we want our daughter Ranko to have a sparring partner, shouldn't we train Shinji-kun? After all, Onno-san never mentioned if he trained little Shinji-kun."

Ranma blinked at that. Oh yeah... Then, Ranma smirked. "Hey, it will be just like old times! Like when Ranko started training!" 

"Oh my, but doesn't Ranko take it from you, in learning so fast?" Kasumi asked. 

"Yeah... I guess that could be a problem... but then, Shinji is still young. He can learn." 

Ranma took his arm, and embraced Kasumi with it. Kasumi giggled. "I always wanted a son." 

"But he is not ours," Ranma replied. 

"Yes, of course. I would not insult Yui's memory like that..." Kasumi bit her lip. Looking up in the roof, she softly whispered, "Welcome to our home, Shinji-kun..." 

Omega X Presents 

**Shinji Ikari in…**

**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**


	2. 1:1

Misato grumbled as she drove high speeds towards the train stations. She was late, and she knew it. After all, drinking a few dozens of pints can do wonders in raising the bar of hangovers. 

__

Damn it! That's really great, Misato! One of these days, Ikari is going to get your stripes and Ritsuko would be all over you, lecturing you about you drinking! Misato scolded herself in thought. 

Well, scolding herself would probably be a easy way to punish her. Why? Well, first, she had been ordered, almost a week ago, directly from the Supreme Commander of NERV to pick up the new 'pilot'. Today. At the train station, 10:30 AM. It was currently 11:20 AM. 

Well, no one could really blame Misato! No, not our very dear Misato-chan! After all, who can blame our Captain Katsuragi for being addicted to beer? Who could blame her for being a slob? Who can blame her for being sexy after all the years? Nope, not her! 

But still, Misato was content in blaming herself. After all, she was given the job, she was late for almost an hour, and to top it off, there was an Angel Attack. 

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Misato put her foot down speeding towards the train station. "What if the kid ran off? Damn it! Commander Ikari is really going to take my stripes!" 

=-+ | NERV | +-=

Meanwhile, in NERV, Commander Ikari, the man 'behind the scenes' was watching as U.N. forces were bombing the enormous humanoid looking... alien. Beside him was an older looking man. 

"It's been 15 years since the last attack," the old man said, looking at Commander Ikari. 

"15 years? Don't you mean 3 weeks?" Ikari replied, looking up at the man. "You should have said '15 years' during the last attack." 

"The last attack was 15 years ago," the old man said, annoyed. "Adam, the first."

"If 15 years ago was the first attack, why are we naming this the Third one?" Ikari asked. 

The old man growled. "Lilith." 

"Oh," Ikari finally nodded. "Yes... Fuyutsuki. It's been 15 years." 

"Finally," the old man called 'Fuyutsuki' whispered. "Angels," he said in a normal tone. 

****

Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 01: Angel Attack! Shinji Arrives!

Jets and Helicopters came towards the Angel. 

"This is Alpha Team," the leader of the Jet team called through his radio. "We are ready to engage." 

"Copy that," the reply came. "You are clear to engage." 

"FOX-02!" the leader called, and his whole unit unleashed a barrage of missiles towards the Angel. The large humanoid looking alien seem to stare at them, and made no motion of moving out of the way. The missiles hit the Angel head on. 

"Direct hit!" the Team Leader declared happily as the missiles exploded. "No one could survive that amount of explosions!" 

"Alpha Leader, please confirm destruction of opposition," HQ replied. 

"Wait HQ, confirming destruction once dust clears... OH MY GOD! Negative HQ!" the Team leader replied as he stared at the Angel, scratched, but mostly unharmed. "The target is still alive! I repeat, the target is still alive!" 

"Copy that, continue with the assault," HQ replied. 

"Roger... OH MY GOD----KSSSSSSHHHHH!" 

=-+ | NERV HQ | +-=

One of the Sub-Commanding officers dressed in military uniform slammed his fist in one of the metallic consoles. "Damn it! Damage report!" 

"I'm sorry sir, but the whole unit has been wiped out," came a reply, female voice. 

"WIPED OUT?!" the man deliriously replied. 

"Calm down," the man beside him called. "Deploy the tank units."

"Roger," the female replied. "Tank units deployed. Asking for confirmation." 

"Tell them to fire at will. Tell them not to stop shooting until they see that thing dead." 

On the background, Commander Ikari and Fuyutsuki just watched in the screen as the attack waged on. 

"Useless," Ikari stated quietly. 

"Well, it is protected by its AT-Field," came Fuyutsuki's reply. 

=-+ | Outskirts of Tokyo-3 | +-=

Tanks of different models fired towards the Angels. The normal tanks, which fired large rounds of shells, went in close like melee units, firing rounds after rounds, while the tanks that fired missiles were a wee bit farther, firing barrages of large ground to ground missiles. 

But the Angel seem to be... invincible. The rounds did nothing to it, and he just caught the missiles like they were baseballs. But the JSDF didn't seem to be giving up. They continued firing at the Angel until it attacked, sending a single blast of lasers towards the tanks. They exploded into bits. 

On the background, one lone boy looked at the destruction with a neutral gaze, with his hand gripping the hilt of his weapon tightly. 

__

Geez, so this is an Angel that Uncle Ranma was talking about, the boy thought as he watched the whole fight... well, in his opinion, it wasn't a fight really. More of destruction, and chaos. A fight, in his opinion, was something between two sides, determining who has better skills and how those skills were implemented. It had no missiles, no fires, no lasers. And it certainly had no big weird humanoid looking things stomping tanks like they were cockroaches. 

Who was the boy? Well, if you guys don't know, then I'll tell you without any hassle. The boy is Shinji Ikari. 

Anyway, Shinji began to walk farther away from the big Angel, hoping not to get caught in the explosions. No matter how good or skillful he was, he was still human, killed easily with carelessness. His Uncle Ranma and Kasumi had both taught him that. 

After walking for a few meters, he looked back at the Angel. New questions popped in his head. _Why did my old man call me here? _was one question, and _When is Ms. Katsuragi coming? _was the other one. Taking out something from his pocket, he looked once again at the picture. It was a picture of a purple head bombshell, giving him a peace sign, while bending down a bit, with a blue car in the background. 

"'Dear Shinji-kun, I'm coming to meet you at the train station. Please wait for me...'" Shinji read the handwriting in the picture. There was more, of course, but Shinji chose not to read it. After all, reading 'PS. Look at these!' and with an arrow pointing at her bosom was... not really appropriate, especially now that he was in a middle of an empty road, with a big Angel firing lasers at tanks. 

Of course, Shinji couldn't exactly wait for her. After being in the train for almost a day of travelling because of delays such as maintenance, and other stuff, Shinji was confined in his seat, content in looking out of the window. Then, when he finally arrives at Tokyo-3, he looked like a fool, standing in the station, staring at the picture, and looking for this purple head bombshell for almost an hour, before he finally decided that he would rather explore the city than staying in that station. 

But soon, the Angel comes, and the people all run for the shelters, except Shinji, who wanted to see the Angel that his Uncle Ranma kept talking about. Missiles, lasers... the works. Little by little, the Angel marched towards the center of the city, and defeated what the JSDF have offered. Of course, Shinji moved in farther and farther away from the Angel, as I mentioned before, to avoid any accidental explosions sent his way. 

But his luck seem to run out, as one of the helicopters got a tad bit close to the Angel, and started firing its Vulcan. The Angel just swatted it away like it was an annoying fly, right towards Shinji's direction. 

"Kuso!" Shinji cursed as he bent his knees, ready to either jump or run, as the helicopter lost its control, and was flying very close towards his current position. The boy jumped, rolled forward in the air, and avoided the helicopter landing with an explosive 'BOOM!' just a few meters from his back. Landing quickly in the ground, he straightened up, his eyes roaming. If there were anymore flying objects coming down towards his position, he needed to be ready for it. Quickly looking around, he sighed. No more helicopters or jets coming down to him anymore... but there was this blue car coming towards him at speeds he couldn't believe would be even possible. 

Before Shinji could react, the car made a quick stop, skidding in the ground, and made an impressive turn with the passenger side facing Shinji. The door opened, and the same woman from the picture was on the driver's seat, and smiling at him. "Hey, sorry I'm late," the woman said. 

Shinji looked at her with wide eyes, and looked at his watch. He smirked. "Oh my... an hour and a quarter late... Must be a record." Misato's eyes twitched. For some reason, she wanted to take a mallet out of nowhere, and wipe that smirk from his face. "I'm Shinji," Shinji said, smiling, his annoying smirk gone. "And you must be..." 

"Yeah, I'm Misato Katsuragi, Shinji-kun," the woman replied. "Now get in!" 

=-+ | NERV HQ | +-=

"Tank battalion, and air Units destroyed," the female operator said. 

"Damnit," one of the sub-commanders said. "What now? We keep losing more men like this!" 

"We have no choice," stated another sub-commander. "Tell units to retreat. Call the bombers. Use the N2 Mines." 

Commander Ikari... uh, okay, this is tiring. Anyway, GENDOU Ikari looked at the screen for a moment, with little interest as the JSDF retreated, opting to use their final weapon: N2 Mine, which stood for Non-Nuclear Mine. No one ever used that on Angels. 

"Ikari," Fuyutsuki began, worry on his tone. 

"It won't matter old friend," Gendou replied. "They cannot brake the AT-Field like that."

=-+ | Outskirts of Tokyo-3 | +-=

Misato was not having a good day. She had went to the train station, looking for her target, but he was nowhere to be found. Driving like a rich man about to lose his fortune, she desperately tried to find him. She got lucky. On the streets of Tokyo-3, she found the boy near a wreckage of a fallen helicopter. 

She stopped, gave out her best smile, and apologized for being late... and the kid just smirked and gave her a below-the-belt insult. Ooh, she wanted to strangle him. 

But right now, in the Outskirts of Tokyo-3, Misato had other things to think about. In her hand was a pair of binoculars, as she watched the battle, zoomed in, between the JSDF and the Angel. 

But since the position of her car, she was forced to lean 'a bit' to Shinji to get a clear view. The boy didn't seem to mind, as he covered his mouth as he yawned. He was bored. It was much more exciting outside, where at least falling helicopters were giving him something to take his mind of the boredom. 

"The jets and helicopters are moving away... it seems the JSDF is retreating... but what is that lone plane... oh NO! They are going to use an N2 Mine!" Misato exclaimed. She grabbed Shinji, forced him down, and before he could say anything, a loud explosion took place...

=-+ | NERV | +-=

"YES!" the sub-commander shouted as the whole explosion engulfed the Angel. 

"Direct hit! Nothing could survive that!" one of the sub-commanders commented. "It looks like we won't be needing your toy anymore, Ikari," he said smugly. 

Gendou just stared at the screen neutrally. The Satellite Imaging was now blurry, with a lot of interference created by the N2 Mine, so showed nothing but static. "Fools," he muttered silently. 

"Satellite Imaging coming up," the female operator said, and the screen, like a television that finally got a good signal, came alive... showing the Angel moderately damaged, but not destroyed. The sub-commanders stood there, shocked. 

"What the... Impossible!" "Nothing could survive that! Impossible!" "Sir, the Angel seems to be regenerating..." "Our last resort... and it only stopped it temporarily." 

"Sir, what now?" asked the female operator. 

Before anyone could reply, the Angel seem to look up, and only a second, a bright spark came from it, and the whole screen went blank once again. 

"Sir, satellite destroyed." 

In the background, Fuyutsuki seem to smile. "Its seems to be learning... getting smarter and more powerful." 

"Seems to be," Ikari replied. 

The sub-commanders went down, dejected. After a few minutes, one of them spoke. "Tell all units to retreat. We are turning command to NERV." 

Turning around, the man looked at Ikari, who was now standing up. "Commander Ikari. I believe we delayed you long enough. I hope you do know what you are doing." and with that, he gave a snap salute. Gendou saluted as well. 

"Of course. That is why NERV was created," Gendou replied in a monotonous tone. Then, with that, he barked a new command. "Activate Unit-01." 

The sub-commanders seem to be satisfied, and left Ikari alone in his own devices. When they had completely left, Fuyutsuki came and whispered to Gendou's ear, "Unit-01? We can't use Rei, and we have no spare pilots..." 

"One is being delivered as we speak," Gendou replied. 

=-+ | Outskirts of Tokyo-3 | +-=

"Oh my... poor car," Shinji commented as he looked at the partially wrecked car of Misato. The mentioned woman suddenly glared at the boy. I mean, who wouldn't, after having seeing a car, not really fully paid, wrecked, and the only thing you can hear was 'Oh my'? 

But right now was not the time. Shaking her anger off, Misato looked at Shinji more carefully. She whistled. 

The mentioned boy was nothing she expected. Wearing a nice clean white sleeveless Chinese shirt and black pants, and white rubber shoes, he had an impressive built. Not bulky, but also not wimpy, but lean. His black hair was a bit longer, passing his shoulders a bit, and tied in a ponytail. He also had a katana in his side. 

Misato was about to comment on the weapon, but thought so otherwise. She had bigger problems at hand. First, her car was wrecked. The engine would not run, and it would take hours to go to NERV if she and Shinji walked. She needed an alternate power source to keep the engine from dying. 

Looking around, she saw some abandoned shops, and one caught her eye. It was a Car Maintenance type of shop. She smiled. "Hey Shinji," she called. 

"Hmm?" Shinji replied, looking at the woman straight in the eyes. 

"Could you help me with me dire needs?" she purred. Inwardly, she smirked. No male could withstand her charm, and if all things went well, she could get enough power cells to keep the engine running, and she wouldn't have to lift a finger. 

"Oh, what is it, Katsuragi-san?" Shinji asked, curious, lacking the usual gleam most males have when she purred. The woman blinked in surprise. 

__

What the... no effect? "Could you help me get some batteries from that shop?" Misato pointed the shop. Shinji looked at it, and shrugged. 

"Sure," he replied. "How many?" 

"Oh, maybe a dozen," Misato smiled. _Yey! No extra work for me! _she thought silently. She watched Shinji enter the shop, and after a few minutes, she saw Shinji finally come out... with a dozen batteries... 6 in each hand, stacked up like a column. Misato gaped. 

"Is this enough?" Shinji asked, not bothered that he was carrying something no 14 year old boy could carry so... lightly. 

"Uh, yeah... I think that is enough..." Misato replied, although in her head, it was more of _What the hell?!_

++++++++

Misato had connected the batteries with no difficulty, and started the car almost at once. She drove in a more moderate speed towards NERV, with Shinji whistling some kind of song. In no time, she found herself bored by the silence or more specifically, the lack of conversation, and was a bit relieved when her phone rang. 

Taking it out, she opened the line. "Hello? Oh, Ritsuko... yeah, I'm sorry I'm a bit late. I was delayed... no, the kid is safe... yeah, I know, his safety is my number one priority. I'll be there soon... Yes, I know it was my idea to meet him... don't worry! He's safe! No scratch on him! Yeah, and prepare a train car for us... linear one, please. Thanks..." and with that, she closed the phone, and pocketed it. 

"Who was that? Your husband?" Shinji asked, curious. Misato looked at him her look trying to judge whether the boy was serious or not. 

"Does 'Ritsuko' sound like a male name to you?" Misato asked. 

"Nope, not really," Shinji replied. "So, was it your lover?" 

Misato's hand twitched, and the car turned sharply. "NANI?! What gave you that idea?!" 

"Well, this Ritsuko person seem to be worried about you for some reason..." Shinji shrugged his shoulders, not bothered by the way Misato was driving now. 

"She was not worried about me!" Misato scorned. "She was worried about you." 

"Worried about me...? Oh my... so, uh, does this mean that this Ritsuko like younger men?" Shinji asked. Misato raised his eyebrows again, and stared at Shinji. 

"Was that a joke?" Misato asked. 

Shinji just smiled, his face positively gleaming, like he was enjoying this conversation. "You better keep your eyes on the road, Katsuragi-san not on me..." 

Misato took a look back towards the road, and saw that she was going to ram a building. She turned to the opposite direction, barely missing it. 

"Oh my... you must tell me what driving school you had to attend to hone your skills," Shinji smirked. "I must tell the Minstry of Education and see if the school was not blacklisted..." 

Misato was now twitching from head to toe. She gave a wide smile. _Oh, you won't get off that remark! _And with that, she began to make the car move into zigzag as she took deep lefts and rights.

"Oy! Oy!" Shinji began, as his body began moving left to right, uncontrollably. 

++++++++

"Wow... a GeoFront..." Shinji commented as he looked at his new surroundings. 

Misato had driven towards one of the tunnels, and made a turn in what seem to be a secret opening, and she stopped the car. She spoke once again, in her phone, and another path revealed itself to them. Misato drove forward again, and stopped. 

Before Shinji could say anything, he felt the whole car move diagonally downwards, like an escalator. At first, only some yellow lights were visible, but after a while, Shinji saw an underground city, with some buildings from above, and a lone building on the ground. 

"Yes, the GoeFront. First time to see it?" Misato asked, smiling at Shinji's somewhat excited face. 

"Of course!" Shinji replied, smiling. "Nerima-1 didn't have such thing. But then, Nerima-1 had more trees and a great outdoor life." 

"Yeah, you came from Nerima-1 right?" Misato asked. Shinji nodded. "Yeah, I went there once. It was like old Tokyo... oh, before I forget, did your father give you anything?" 

"Hmm? Just this letter," Shinji took out a white paper. Misato took it slowly, and read it. 

__

'Come –Gendou Ikari'? That's a letter to his own son? Whoa... Misato thought. "Thanks. Here, take this..." and with that, she gave another piece of paper, but this time, had the NERV logo. 

"NERV?" Shinji asked. 

"Yup," Misato replied. "You're going to be working with your father now." 

Shinji grimaced, for a few seconds only, and his face reverted back to normal. Misato didn't notice, though, as they continued to move downwards...

++++++++

Somewhere in NERV, a blonde woman wearing a wetsuit shoved herself up to the to a narrow walkway. She removed her goggles, and took off her mouthpiece. She took a few breaths, when the intercom buzzed. 

"Chief of Project E at Section 1 of the Technical Department, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko. Please contact Captain Katsuragi Misato at Section 1 of the Operations Department immediately." 

The woman groaned. "Is she lost again?!" 

++++++++

"Oh my, Katsuragi-san, I really think we were here earlier," Shinji said, as he looked at the corridor again. How the woman got lost, he would never know. She took a left, and a right, then another left, and a right, and ALAKAZAM! They were back where they came from. 

Misato wasn't doing anything better. She was already late, and now she had to listen the boy blab on. "Hey, I know where we are going alright?" she said seethingly. "Look, all we do is turn left, and..." 

"Katsuragi-san, you told me that just a few moments ago..." Shinji began. "Just admit it, we are lost." 

"WE ARE NOT LOST!!" Misato shouted. 

****

TING!

The sound of the elevator rang through the ears of both figures, and stared at the opening door of the elevator. Out came a woman, with short blonde hair and a mole near one of her eyes. She looked left and right and when she spotted the purple head woman, she glared. 

"Captain Katsuragi," the woman said in a serious tone. "You do know we are short on manpower, right?" Misato nodded nervously. "Then why do you continue to waste my time?" the woman demanded. 

"Sorry, Ritsuko, I kinda got lost," Misato replied apologetically. 

"I told you so..." Shinji said, off-hand. Misato'e eyes went on fire, and glared at the boy. 

The woman named 'Ritsuko' had a surprised expression. Looking at the young teenager beside Misato, she wondered how he could easily pull her strings. "So, is this the Third Child?" 

"Yup, according to the Marduk Report," Misato replied. 

Shinji gave another warm smile. "Hello, I'm Shinji Ikari. Nice to meet you," and he bowed towards her. 

Ritsuko blinked. She had expected the boy to be shy, or quiet. After all, she had read the report about him. Abandoned by his father at the age of 7, left in a crying fit, she thought she would have at least know what type of personality he would have. But the Shinji in front of her seem to defy it. He looked more confident, more... mature... and cute.

Ritsuko blinked. She didn't think that, did she? The cute part? Shaking her head, she motioned the two figures to walk with her in the elevator. "Hey, come on. We are late as it is, already." She looked once again towards Shinji, and noticed a sheathed katana on his side. She raised her eyebrows. 

++++++++

"So, uh, Shinji," Misato began, as the three figures were going down a few levels in the elevator. "I wanted to ask, why are you carrying a katana?" 

Shinji looked at her for a while, and looked at the sword he was carrying. "Oh, this? This is a weapon I am most comfortable with." Unsheathing it carefully, he showed the blade to Ritsuko and Misato. 

Ritsuko and Misato looked closely, and noticed something weird about it. "Hey... why is the blade on the wrong side?" Ritsuko asked. Shinji froze for a while, and the blonde woman noticed. She made a mental note for herself to update his file. 

"Well, I don't like... killing people," he replied softly. 

Misato seem to nod at that, and Ritsuko just stared blankly. His tone was quite different now... a bit serious, and weak. It was so unlike the comment she had heard from him when Misato stated that they got lost. 

"You don't like killing people?" Ritsuko asked. 

"Yeah, that's about it," Shinji replied, smiling a bit. "I mean, in Nerima-1, there are so many challengers. Its kinda against morality to just kill them during a fight, you know." 

"Ah, so you are a martial artist?" Misato asked, motioning his clothes and katana. 

"Yup!" Shinji replied, smirking. "I'm going to be the best!"

Misato smirked. Shinji sounded very confident, but if she thought that he was no match against some of the trained soldiers here at NERV. Not underestimating Shinji, but Misato could not see how Shinji could beat the over-trained soldiers that had muscles on their muscles. 

__

But how did he carry those batteries? Misato looked at Shinji again, scrutinizing him. His arms had nice set of lean muscles, and were not that large. Yet, how did he carry those six car batteries in one hand? She stared, trying to figure out if what she saw was real, or an illusion. 

She stopped staring when Shinji's eyes stared straight towards hers. She blushed as Shinji's gaze seem to be so magnetic. She was about to say something, anything to get away from the situation, when Shinji opened his mouth. 

"Katsuragi-san!" Shinji seem to admonish. "Hentai! Stop staring at me like that!" 

Misato blinked, and felt the words drop into her like a ton of bricks. She heard Ritsuko giggle, and her own anger and embarrassment rising. "HEY! I AM NOT A PERVERT!" 

It was going to be a long elevator ride...

++++++++

"Our pilot is here," Gendou said to his former teacher, Fuyutsuki, as they descended in the lift. 

"Hmph, I do hope know what you are doing, Ikari, but I trust you," Fuyutsuki replied. 

In one of the consoles, a female operator shouted, "Regeneration is complete! Target advancing!" 

"Well, we have no choice," Fuyutsuki whispered to Gendou. Taking a look back towards the group of people in the consoles, he barked the order. "Sound Red Alert. All hands to battle stations!" 

"Yes sir!" 

++++++++

Once they arrived at their floor, Shinji was shown in a room. When he entered, he tensed a bit, as the room didn't have any lights at all. 

"Hey... could someone turn on the lights, or at least light a lighter?" Shinji asked, turning to his back, hoping that Misato and Ritsuko were still behind him. He was right, as suddenly, the light turned on, and Shinji blinked, as his eyes adjusted itself to the brightness. 

After blinking a few times, he looked at Misato and Ritsuko, staring forward, all serious. "Thanks for opening the lights," Shinji said, and turned around, only to see a big face staring back at him. "Oh MY?!" he shouted, losing composure, staring at the... giant head looking back at him. 

Ritsuko smirked inwardly. _Heh, the face of an Evangelion still gets to anyone... _"You won't find this on any manual. This is the Multi-purpose Humanoid Fighting Machine EVANGELION, which humanity has finally developed. We can use this to fight the Angels."

"Why is it purple and green?" Shinji asked, so off-handly that Ritsuko found herself stumbling down by the stupidity of the question. 

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked. 

"I mean, why is purple and green? Damn... its so u-gly," Shinji commented. 

"Color is irrelevant," a cold monotonous voice rang through the room. Shinji looked up, and saw Gendou Ikari, in his full military uniform. "It's been a long time." 

"Old man," Shinji said with a neutral face. 

Gendou Ikari looked at his 'son', and was inwardly shocked by his appearance. He had expected a meek boy, a shy, introvert. But the way he carried himself... _I'll have to contact Onno about this... _"Move out." 

It was Misato's turn to be surprised. "Move out? But Unit-00 is frozen and... are you going to activate Unit-01?" 

"We have no choice," Ritsuko replied neutrally. 

"Who will pilot it? Rei can't do it! She's injured, and we have no more pilots!" Misato shot back to Ritsuko. 

"You delivered us one, already, Captain," Ritsuko stated. Shinji raised his eyebrows at that. He turned his head back towards his old man. 

"Why did you call me exactly for, old man?" Shinji asked. 

"For the exact reason that you think," Gendou replied cooly. 

"Oh, you mean to paint this big robot?" Shinji smirked as Gendou seem to faze out for a while by his statement. 

Ritsuko was in no mood of jokes. "No, your father called you here to pilot the robot, and fight the Angel you have seen outside." 

"Ritsuko, is this going to work? I mean, Rei needed 7 months to synchronize with the EVA, how can he do it, with no prep time or training?" Misato asked. 

"If there is a chance of him even remotely able to synchronize with the EVA Unit, we have no choice but to board him. Defeating the Angels is our first priority, right Captain?" Ritsuko countered. 

"Yes, but are you ordering him to get inside, and pilot it?!" Misato demanded. 

"Yes," Ritsuko countered. "Because we have no choice." 

Shinji stared at Ritsuko. "Wait, you guys drag me from my nice home in Nerima-1, and tell me to pilot this big ugly thing?" 

"That is correct," Gendou replied. 

"Humor me, old man," Shinji looked up. "Why should I even do it?" 

"If you are going to do it, don't waste time!" Gendou barked this time. "Otherwise, leave!" 

Shinji raised his eyebrows. "Suit yourself. Its ugly, purple and green. Geez, who planned the paint job on this? A dumb blonde with an obsession with 'Barney'?" 

Behind Shinji, was Misato holding back Ritsuko, who was now in demon-head mode, and her claws out, to strangle the boy. It seems the 'dumb blonde' and 'ugly paint job' hit her nerve, as it was really her that planned the paint schemes. 

"Ritsu! Calm down!" Misato declared. 

++++++++

Behind the looking glass, Gendou sighed. Time for plan B. "Fuyutsuki, call Rei." 

Behind him, the older man looked at Gendou like he was joking. "Rei? Isn't she injured?" 

"She is not dead yet," Gendou replied. "Call her." 

Fuyutsuki nodded, and pressed a button. 

"Rei," Gendou spoke softly, and warmly. 

"Yes..." replied in a calm, neutral voice. 

"The spare is useless," Gendou stated. 

"Understood." 

++++++++

The whole base seems to shake, as the Angel pronounced its presence. Ritsuko cursed. It seems the Angel traveled faster than before, now that the resistance was gone. 

"Dr. Akagi," Gendou's voice called. "Rei is piloting it. Do the necessary procedures." 

"Yes," Ritsuko replied at once, and gave a last glare towards Shinji. "Reconfigure the system of Unit-01 to Rei! Now!" she barked her orders. 

"Rei?" Shinji asked curiously, more to himself. Misato heard him, and thought he was asking herself, so answered. 

"Rei Ayanami, one of our pilots, the First Child," Misato replied. "Since you refused to pilot it, we have to let her do it." 

"Now, whoever said I wasn't going to pilot it?" Shinji asked, staring at Misato curiously. 

"You did," Misato said with a small glare. "Don't play games with me, Shinji-kun. I heard you refuse to the Commander." 

"I didn't," Shinji said. "I said, 'Suit yourself'. I didn't say a yes or no. I was wondering how would my old man interpreted it. Uncle Ranma told me it would be more fun to pull the old man's strings than just hitting him head on." Shinji smirked. "Well, he was correct." 

Before Misato could say anything, the doors slid open, and in came three nurses rolling a stretcher towards them, and stopped in front of the robot. Shinji raised his eyebrows. One young girl sat up, covered in bandages. She was... pretty, in Shinji's standards. Well, he liked girls with short hair, but he really didn't care that much anymore. Ranko had long hair, but she was very pretty. 

But this girl... there was something weird about her. Albino white skin, and red eyes, she also had the weirdest color of hair. Blue. 

__

What the... is this the spare pilot? Shinji thought, and looked at Gendou watching them. _If this Rei person is injured, why the hell does the old man want her to pilot it? _

Another tremor shook the place, and it was so strong that the stretcher was thrown off, along with the girl. The nurses were thrown down the waters, Misato held on Shinji, and Ritsuko was on her knees. The only person that seem to be still upright was Shinji and Gendou. 

The roof gave way, and Shinji noticed the sound of metal scraping, and looked up. His eyes widened as he saw pieces of the roof falling down towards the fallen girl. Making Misato let him go, he bent his knees, his arm in the hilt of his katana, and traveling in what seems like impossible speeds, he dashed towards Rei, unsheathing his weapon, slashing away the falling pieces, so fast that his hands blurred. 

Gendou watched with surprised eyes. Ritsuko and Misato were also surprised. Shinji seems to do only one slash, but 7 pieces flew away from them. 

Shinji thought it was safe when he slashed the last piece away, but to his surprise, a very big chunk came towards him. He had no more time to react. 

"Oh shit..." Shinji said, and bent down, hoping to at least save the girl before the boulder would crush them, when suddenly, a large hand appeared on top of them, covering, and blocking the big chunk coming towards them. Everyone panicked. 

"OH MY GOD! THE EVA MOVED!" "IT BROKE THROUGH THE BINDING ON ITS RIGHT ARM!" 

"Impossible!" Ritsuko whispered, commenting both on Shinji's speed and the EVAs movement. 

"The EVA... it moved... and Shinji..." Misato stared back at Shinji, who was holding Rei. 

Rei was a sorry sight. Her fall damaged her badly, and was bleeding from the bandages. She seem to breath in agony. Shinji shivered a bit at the sight of blood. 

"Shh, your safe," Shinji whispered, and gave her a gentle rub in her undamaged arm. Looking back towards the robot, he gave a slight bow. "Thank you." 

The EVA's eyes seem to glow a bit as a reply. Shinji smiled. "Sorry for calling you ugly." Carefully carrying Rei up, he walked towards Misato. "Tell me what to do," he stated calmly.

Gendou smiled. They found their pilot. 

++++++++

"EVA Unit-01 moving towards the docking bay..." 

"Termination plug removed. Inserting Entry Plug..." 

Misato watched in the screen as the procedures were going smoothly. A bit faster, than normal, but then, the Angel was on top of them already. 

"Plug is secured..." 

The screen changed, and showed Shinji inside the plug, with his clothes, but not with his katana. Ritsuko had asked Shinji to give it up before entering the Plug. 

"First connections established..." 

Ritsuko nodded. "Okay, inject LCL to the plug." 

"Roger..." 

In the screen, Misato could see the panic in Shinji's eyes as the whole plug was being injected with LCL. "What the hell...?!" 

"Shinji calm down," Misato said evenly. "Its not water. That LCL will fill your lungs, and will be oxygenated directly." 

Shinji didn't want to hear it though, and held his breath until he couldn't do so anymore, and released his breath, releasing a few bubbles. LCL went towards his lungs, and oxygen filled in, but some LCL got to his mouth, and accidentally swallowed some. 

"Augh... awful..." Shinji muttered. "I think I'm going to be sick..." 

Ritsuko smirked. "What's wrong Shinji? Not man enough to take in a few LCL?" Shinji's eyes narrowed, and seem to glare at the screen. Ritsuko backed a bit at the seriousness of the face. 

"Say that again," he said in a soft and ice cold kinda way. 

Misato made a mental note not to threaten Shinji's manhood. "That's enough you two. Shinji, concentrate!" 

"Alright," Shinji closed his eyes and meditated a bit. Slowly, his synchronization went up. He opened his eyes a bit as he felt something warm. "Oh... my..."

"Synchronization at 50.4%!" 

"In-cre-dible..." Ritsuko muttered under her breath. "This kid is amazing..." 

Gendou watched with a small smile. 

"All harmonic values are stable... everything is under control. Ready to go..." 

"It's going to work..." Ritsuko said with a smile. 

"Primary and Secondary Locks all disengaged..." 

"Internal battery fully charged..." 

"External power supply secure. Ready for launch." 

Misato looked back towards the screen. "Move Unit-01 to the launch pad in a clear path, to cut the Angel." 

One of the female operators with short black hair began to type. "Runway number 14 is clear. Transfer of Unit-01 to route 14... done!" 

"Everything is clear here!" said another operator. 

"EVA Unit-01 ready to launch..." Misato stated. Looking back to Gendou, she gave a somewhat sad but serious face. "Does it even matter?" 

"No it doesn't," Gendou replied. "Humanity has no future if we don't beat the Angels." 

Misato gave a sad smile, and looked back at the screen. "EVA LAUNCH!" she shouted. 

++++++++

Shinji, inside the entry plug, which was inside the Evangelion Unit-01, smiled as he felt his blood boiling. It was the same excitement he had when he sparred with Ranko, or taking on new challengers. 

When the EVA was catapulted up, he couldn't help but shout... "YEEAHHH!" 

++++++++

Misato watched Shinji's face turn to anticipation and excitement with the same small smile. "Be careful, Shinji..." she whispered. 

To Be Continued...

NEXT: Shinji vs. the Third Angel for humanity! Need to say more? 


	3. 1:2

"YEEEAAAHHH!" Shinji shouted at the top of his lungs, as the g-force forced him back in his seat. His mind felt weird. He felt like he was strapped on something, yet being flooded with liquid. It was weird. 

Up towards city level, one of the roads split open, like it had a sliding door, and the Evangelion Unit-01 was revealed, locked into some sort of frame, which held it securely as it was launched. 

At GeoFront, Misato watched the external cameras as the EVA was deployed safely. "ALRIGHT! RELEASE FINAL LOCKS!" she ordered. The operators started typing. 

"Releasing final locks!" the female operator with short black hair said. 

In the screen, the EVAs final locks, which held its forearms and back were released. The EVA slumped down, but remained standing. 

++++++++

Inside the plug, Shinji was now greeted with a familiar feeling in his feet. It was like he was standing up, but then, the feeling was so fuzzy, he could not pinpoint exactly how the feeling came about. "Whoa... weird," he stated. 

++++++++

Ritsuko seemed to anticipate the reaction, and began to try to make the boy understand. "Weird, right? You feel bigger, huh?" 

"No, not really," Shinji said. "I am submerge in liquid, yet my hair doesn't float like it is in liquid... Why is that?"

Ritsuko looked blankly at Shinji's face in the monitor, and found him correct. His long hair that was done in a ponytail was not floating, even under the influence of a liquid. Why was that, really? She turned towards Gendou for some answer. 

Gendou was stumped as well. Of all the irrelevant and stupid things coming out of his son's mouth, it had some logic in it. He shook his head. "Tell him it is irrelevant and to proceed with it already." 

The female operator nodded. "Unti-01, please proceed with the operation." 

"Ano, who is this?" Shinji's voice rang. 

The woman was taken back by the sudden question. "Uh, Lieutenant Ibuki, Pilot Ikari." 

"Oh my, just call me Shinji. Nice voice, female, obviously..." Shinji's voice replied. Maya blushed. "Lt. Ibuki, huh? I have to look up on that. So, what do I do?" 

Maya was relieved by the change in subject. The boy seems to be spouting things out in random. First, the color of the EVA, and the way the LCL had no effect in his hair, and now her voice. Spontaneous seems to be fitting word for him. 

Misato seem to be weirded out by Shinji's conversation with Maya, but to her credit, she still kept her head. "Alright, Shinji, lets take it slow. Start by walking..." 

"Envision yourself as walking," Ritsuko offered. 

"Alright," Shinji replied. 

****

Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior

1:2 : Fist of a Martial Artist

Shinji felt like he was in two places at once. He didn't like the feeling. It gave him a lagging feel, like a slow down to his movements. Once again, he felt weird, and didn't like it. Why?

Well, his Uncle Ranma had trained him for his co-ordination, and his Auntie Kasumi taught him his skills. Both were an integral part of his being. But being inside the EVA, the former part seems to be thrown out of the window. 

"Alright, trying to walk..." Shinji began, and 'willed' the EVAs left foot forward. 

++++++++

In NERV, Ritsuko's eyes widened as the EVA seem to take one step forward. "It's walking!"

++++++++

Shinji gritted his teeth as his mind felt like it was ahead of its body. He had thought his left foot was already on the ground, and lifted the right foot. With that, the EVA lost its balance, and fell down. 

"KUSO!" Shinji cursed. He gritted his teeth. "Damn it... I can't get the feel of it!" 

++++++++

In NERV, Misato watched fearfully as EVA Unit-01 was down to for the count. "What the... Ritsu? What's happening? Shinji was doing fine for a moment." 

"Hmm... I can only speculate," Ritsuko stated, her eyes down, and her finger on her chin. Everyone looks at her. "It seems his co-ordination is lagging." 

"What do you mean?" Misato asked. "His synchrony is high enough! It's currently at 56.4%! What's wrong with that?" 

"Do you remember the time when the ceiling came down on Rei, and Shinji just dashed towards her?" Ritsuko asked. 

-[ Flashback ]-

Shinji dashed towards Rei, his hand holding tightly to the hilt of his katana at tremendous speeds, and quickly unsheathed his sword to slash away the falling debris...

-[ End of Flashback ]-

"Yeah," Misato remembered it clearly. There was no way she could forget that scene. The way Shinji moved was way too fast to be even human. 

"I think Shinji here is a very well trained martial artist, used to have his co-ordination at top notch," Ritsuko explained. "It would explain why even such a high level of synchrony, it is not enough. Shinji is used to have his body so well co-ordinated, that 50, and maybe not even 79% of synchronization would not be enough. His co-ordination is off because of that..." 

"You mean he can't move properly if his synchrony doesn't go higher?!" Misato demanded. 

"Seems so," Ritsuko declared. 

"Damn it! Unit-01, retreat!" Misato declared. 

++++++++

Inside the fallen EVA, Shinji felt his chest and whole body in pain as he fell forward flat. He silently cursed. 

"Shinji?" Misato called. "Can you hear me?" 

"Loud and clear, Katsuragi-san," Shinji replied. 

"Good. I'm ordering you to retreat," Misato's voice called. "I'm sorry, but it seems that you can't move that well with the EVA..." 

"No..." Shinji gave a short curt reply, cutting her off. 

"What do you mean 'No'? Retreat! That's a direct order!" Misato barked. 

"Is that worry I hear in your tone, Katsuragi-san?" Shinji smirked, teasing. He could imagine the face of the purple head bombshell right now. She would be twitching a bit, maybe gritting her teeth. He added something more to raise her notch. "I guess one hentai cannot help herself..." 

"WHY YOU...!" 

Shinji covered his ears, and smirked. 

++++++++

"WHY YOU LITTLE SNIT!" Misato shouted at the top of her lungs, grabbing the microphone so hard that her knuckles became white. 

Ritsuko shook her head at the side. "Its like they were made for each other..." Ritsuko whispered. 

"I AM TELLING YOU TO COME BACK AT ONCE!" Misato barked. "YOU ARE IN A BIG DISADVANTAGE...-" 

"Who said I was in a disadvantage?" Shinji's voice rang in the background. Everyone stopped momentarily at what they were doing. The voice was calm, collected, and serene. It was not a voice of a normal 14-year-old in a big robot, and that was given. 

"What do you mean you are not in a disadvantage?" Misato asked more softly this time. "You can't move well at that level of synchrony. Don't tell me... –" 

"Just because it seems my co-ordination is a bit off, it doesn't mean I am at a disadvantage," Shinji said. He seems to smile. "I was surprised, that's all. Since you guys don't seem to believe me, I'm going to show you how Shinji Ikari does his job right..." 

The communication was cut from there, and the big screen showed the EVA slowly moving up, standing up, using its arms as a support. Maya Ibuki stared at the screen. "EVA Unit-01 slowly recovering." 

"Damn that boy!" Misato glared at the screen. 

"Well, at least we know he doesn't give up," Ritsuko commented. 

++++++++

Shinji gritted his teeth as he felt his co-ordination was off again. But this time, now that he knew the reason why, as he had overheard it from Ritsuko, he could fix that. 

__

So, my usual co-ordination wouldn't do, eh? Well, let's see if I can do this! Shinji thought. He smiled. The solution was simple, really. If his usual way of moving won't work, then he would have to think of what he was doing slowly. But it didn't mean it would be easy. After all, trying to think in slow motion tends to mess the reflexes. It was going to degrade his own skills when he was done piloting. 

But right now, it was not important. What was important was standing up, as the big Angel seems to coming towards him. 

Standing erect, Shinji slowly went to position, in a kempo stance that Ranma had taught him. He was not completely useless without a sword, but he had more advantage with it. Slowly, the EVA followed Shinji's thoughts, and also went to a stance. 

"Come and get me, ugly," Shinji said with a smirk. 

The Angel seems to have heard him, and suddenly charged towards him.

++++++++

"EVA Unit-01 up and ready," Maya stated. 

"Angel coming in it's twelve," said a male operator. "Angel charges towards EVA Unit!" 

Gendou, who was watching the screen with a curious gaze, clenched his hands a bit. 

"SHINJI!" Misato shouted. 

++++++++

The Angel lashed out a right fist, and the EVA barely dodged the it as it moved towards its own right, and lashed out a counter attack with a solid punch on the Angel's gut. The Angel backed out, seemingly stunned, and Shinji took that moment to make a rush combo. 

Quick with his left, he did three jabs towards the Angel's 'face', and a nice solid kick back to its gut area. Unit-01 seems to jump a bit in the air, and gave a powerful right handed blow towards the Angel's face. 

The last punch was strong enough to send the Angel flying towards the buildings still up. EVA Unit-01 bent its knees a bit, and dashed towards the fallen Angel. Shinji was not done yet. 

Well, it seems the Angel would not get down without a fight, and stood up right at once, and began to attack anew. It raised its left arm, and launched its haymaker. 

"I could see that a mile away!" Shinji declared, and rolled in the ground, grabbing the extended arm of the angel, and used the heel of his right foot to support him as Shinji threw the Angel in a perfect shoulder throw. 

The Angel found itself in the air, and landed with a big crash to one of the buildings. Dust flew, and covered the Angel a bit, cutting Shinji's visual on it. The boy didn't mind that much, though. 

To him, the Angel he fought was quite pathetic. The only reason why the Angel seems to almost hit him is because of the lag Shinji had felt every time his mind told the EVA to move. And no matter what it can currently do, the Angel had no chance in getting him. The skill level of the Angel was so low, that Shinji actually wondered if his excitement was actually justified. 

When the dust cleared, it showed the Angel, slowly standing up, seemingly up for more. Shinji's respect for his enemy went up a bit. Even without skills, it had endurance, just like Uncle Ryouga's daughter, Kima. 

EVA Unit-01's knees bent, and suddenly dashed towards the Angel, right arm out, giving a straight, powerful punch towards the Angel. Looking at the EVA, the Angel's 'eyes' didn't even seem to even confirm that a fist was coming towards its face. It might have been too late. Not even Ranma, or even Kasumi, at their almost god-like speed couldn't stop the fist at this rate. That is why Shinji was surprised as the EVA's fist hit something hard, just a few meters away from the Angel's face, and red hexagonal marks seemingly in mid-air. "Nani?!" 

=-+ | NERV HQ | +-=

"Angel deployed its AT-Field!" Maya shouted. 

"What?!" Misato couldn't believe it. "Tell Shinji to deploy his own AT-Field!" 

"Ordering..." Maya grabbed the microphone. "Pilot Ikari! Pilot Ikari!" 

=-+ | Tokyo-3 | +-=

Shinji was so surprised, taken aback by the new technique of the Angel, that he didn't listen to Maya... or even move fast enough when the Angel suddenly grabbed his extended arm with its left arm, and punched the EVA in the gut with its right arm. 

Shinji felt the hit and pain on his stomach area, and stunned him. The blow was powerful, that even the EVA seem to rattle at the power of the strike. The EVA went down on its knee, and the Angel grabbed the still extended arm of the EVA, and with a painful twist, a loud crack was heard, as the arm broke. 

Inside the plug, Shinji shouted in agony. He felt his right arm dangling, still being held by the Angel. But the Angel was not done yet. Grabbing the head, the Angel had this bladed weapon on its forearms, and began to hit the head of the EVA multiple of times. 

Each hit, Shinji shouted as he felt something sharp as a knife, and as hot as a needle trying to pierce his skull. Finally, the hot poker broke through the armor, and blood began to pour out. 

=-+ | NERV HQ | +-=

"Head damaged heavily! Extent to synchrony, unknown!" 

"Shinji!" Misato shouted in panic. "Get out of there! Shinji! Shinji! Can you hear me?" 

"Synchronization going down!" Maya shouted. "Pulse are flowing backwards!" 

"Damnit, cut the circuits! Stop them!" Ritsuko began. 

"We can't! Its out of control!" Maya replied back. 

NERV HQ was in a state of chaos and panic. For few moments there, they would have thought that the new pilot would have gotten through without a scratch, but now, it seems unlikely. Even the screen monitoring Shinji's brainwaves and heart beat had gone mysteriously blank. 

"Unit-01 is totally silent!" 

"Misato, what are you going to do?" Ritsuko asked. 

"Damnit, change of course!" Misato replied. "Eject the plug! Protecting the pilot is NOW our FIRST priority!" 

"Executing command..." Maya began to type, then turned back to Misato, now a bit more hysterical than before. "The commands are not being executed! The EVA is not responding to them." 

"NANI?!" Misato shouted. "SHINJI!" 

=-+ | Tokyo-3 | +-=

__

SHINJI!

Suddenly, the blank look in the EVAs eyes suddenly came back to life, as it eyes glowed dangerously red. 

At the same time, Shinji's own eyes opened. "Ouch..." he muttered. His eyes narrowed at the Angel seemingly in front of him. "That hurt..." 

=-+ | NERV HQ | +-=

"EVA Unit-01 activated!" Maya shouted, surprising everyone. Misato, and along with the rest of the crew looked at the screen, and showed the EVA grabbing the Angel by the neck. 

"It can't be..." Misato muttered silently, as the EVA stood up slowly. 

"How can it still move?!" Ritsuko asked to no on in particular. She was so sure that with that much damage, the pilot would be in too much psychological pain to even move. Also, the EVA was heavily damaged. 

"Synchronization rising!" Maya shouted. 

"Holy... Mother of God!" a male operator declared. "Look at the ratios! It's rising to a 100%!" 

"Impossible!" Ritsuko replied. 

Up in the stage, Gendou smiled, and Fuyutsuki knew what was going to happen. "We are going to win." 

=-+ | Tokyo-3 | +-=

Shinji and EVA became one as they grabbed the Angel's neck with the still functional left arm, and with a bent down knee, they kicked the Angel away from them. 

The Angel, maybe also a bit surprised that his enemy was still fighting, and more surprised that it was a tad more stronger than before. The kick sent him to a building, but unlike before, it didn't stop his course, as the Angel dragged the building and hit another one, and another one. 

Inside the plug, Shinji's eyes stared at the still flying Angel, and went to his communication. "Does this EVA have any weapons?" 

"Yes Pilot Ikari," a female voice replied. "Progressive knife on your shoulder blade, and a plasma rifle in the buildings in your left, a few blocks." 

Shinji recognized the voice. "Lt. Ibuki? What did I tell you about calling me Shinji?" 

"Sorry, Pilo... Shinji," the voice replied, seemingly a bit embarrassed. 

"That is okay," Shinji said. "No guns for me. Too far, and no time. Using progressive knife!" 

A mechanism in the shoulder blades turned, and the handle of the progressive knife, and pulled it out. Shinji held the knife in front of him, and the blade slid out, and began to glow with an eerie light. 

With the knife in his left hand, Shinji took a look at the EVA's right broken arm. _Its not broken... its not broken... _Shinji thought, and ignored the feeling that his arm was broken, and began to think that his right arm was not broken. 

To his satisfaction, the right arm seems to regenerate along with his thoughts. Now, transferring the knife to his newly fixed right arm, he went to position, and began to charge towards the Angel. 

The Angel saw the damaged, but still dangerous EVA dashing towards him, and unleashed its laser towards the advancing Unit-01. Shinji saw the flash of light and immediately jumped up in the air, letting the energy blast pass through where he had been a few moments ago, and landed without loss of momentum, and continued running towards the Angel. 

The Angel desperately fired another round, and this time, Shinji just sidestepped to the left, dodging the blast, and took out his left fist, and punched towards the Angel. Again, he hit the barrier. He cursed. Moving out of the way before the Angel could retaliate, he once again spoke to his communication. "Uh, a little help here!" he stated, then cautiously went nearer towards the Angel. 

=-+ | NERV HQ | +-=

"Copy, Shinji," Maya began. She looked towards Misato, who looked at Ritsuko. 

"Tell Shinji to expand his own AT-Field, and use the progressive knife if he can't," Ritsuko replied. Maya nodded. 

"Shinji..." Maya began. 

=-+ | Tokyo-3 | +-=

"... expand your own field. Your EVA can use its own field to neutralize the Angel's AT-Field. Then use your knife," the female voice replied. 

Shinji nodded. "Got ya!" and he dashed once again towards the Angel. When he was close enough, Shinji closed his eyes, concentrated. 

It was weird. Trying to expand a field he never did, or even seen before sounded hard at first, but then, it was like meditating, trying to power up your own Ki, like his Uncle Ranma had taught him. 

"Shinji, your AT-Field is expanding!" Misato's voice called. "Good job!" 

"Unit-01's AT-Field neutralizing Angel's AT-Field," Lt. Ibuki's voice stated. 

When Shinji opened his eyes, he was surprised. He could actually see it. Two conflicting fields, only indicated by glowing red hexagonal shapes, and sparks. 

"Okay, Shinji! Use the knife! Slice through the field!" Ritsuko's voice said, a bit excitedly. Shinji followed exactly what she said, and slashed through the barriers, cutting it with a big slit, large enough for him to fit. Shinji wasted no time. He entered the space, and penetrated the Angel's territory. With a powerful slash, he cut the Angel deeply. He raised his fist, and punched the Angel hard on it's gut, and it moaned in pain. 

Shinji was about to finish it, when the Angel suddenly lunged and its composition seems to change to jelly, and grabbed him. Before he knew what was happening, the Angel self-destructed. 

=-+ | NER HQ | +-=

"Report!" Misato shouted, as the big explosion seem to rock the whole place. 

"Angel self-destructed, grabbing Unit-01 along with it," Maya stated, and began to type faster. 

"Is the EVA alright?" Ritsuko asked. 

"Confirming..." Maya paused for a while, and a smile came across her face. "Yes! Unit-01 is still alright!" 

Misato sighed with relief, as the big screen in NERV showed the dust clearing, with EVA Unit-01 walking towards them. 

"Shinji!" Misato called. 

"CRSSHH... KASSHHH... This... KSSHHH... This is a big purple Jelly Donut, alive, and well... alive," Shinji's voice came through. The image in the big screen split into two, and the other image showed the inside of the plug. Shinji was sitting there, his eyes close, smirking. "Count that on my record! Shinji, the badass, score: 1, Angels, the losers, score: 0!" and he made a peace sign. The EVA seem to do the same. 

"Arrogant little snit," Misato grumbled. 

"Ah, you are just jealous, Katsuragi-san," Shinji said in a teasing tone. 

"Whatever," Misato replied. "EVA Unit-01, come back." 

"Got it!" Shinji replied. "Big bad Jelly Donut, coming home! Ja ne!" and with that, he cut the communication off. 

Misato sighed, as her headache seems to be vanishing. "Damn that kid..." she muttered. "He is a handful." 

"Jelly Donut?" Ritsuko seem to faze out, trying to figure out what did Shinji visualize to relate the EVA and a donut. 

++++++++

The EVA Unit-01 had come back, safely, but with missing pieces of armor. The head armor, to be more precise. 

The EVA looked strangely weird without the helmet, and Shinji got the first hand in seeing it after he was removed from the Entry Plug. The people who had let him down were praising him for a job nicely done, and Shinji just lapped it up easily, smiling like an idiot. 

Coughing out a bit of LCL, he climbed and went towards the front of his EVA, gave a wistful smile, and bowed to it. Ritsuko and Misato were watching him curiously. 

"Hmm, he bows to the Evangelion like he was giving a thanks to a person," Ritsuko noticed. 

"I don't know if he is being a weirdo, but he definitely is a weirdo," Misato replied. 

"You are just angry that he annoys you to death," Ritsuko countered. 

"Oh, who are you to talk, Ritsu? Who was the one about to strangle him when he mentioned the ugly paint job?" Misato countered back. 

"Who was staring at him like a pervert a few minutes ago, in the elevator?" Ritsuko said, her voice was rising. 

"Oh, and you don't?" Misato was shouting now. "I've seen the way you looked at him when you first met him! There was this nice big faint blush in your cheek! Don't you tell me I'm a pervert!" 

Ritsuko and Misato began to tussle, roll on the ground, raising a few dust particles, and Shinji was staring at them. He looked back to his EVA, and stated, "Oh my, I never thought a military facility would hold some nymphos. The world has totally changed, huh?" 

The EVA's eyes seem to glow a bit. 

"Yeah, I know. Sorry for messing you up, okay? Next time, I'll be more careful when fighting one of those Angels," Shinji said cheerfully. The EVA's eyes glowed again. Shinji cheerfully waved. "Yeah, see ya soon." And with that, Shinji left the EVA, and the two 'nymphos' alone. 

++++++++

Shinji walked in the hallways, and saw some people pushing a stretcher in the hallway. In the stretcher, Shinji looked as Rei Ayanami was pushed towards her quarters in NERV. She had this blank stare, and her red eyes seem to pierce into his when his and her eyes made contact. It lasted only for a second, yet the image stayed with Shinji like it lasted for hours. 

"Weird girl..." Shinji commented as Rei was pushed away. "She's all quiet... but then, Uncle Ranma told me to keep an open mind. People are more than what they seem... but still..." 

Shinji suddenly smiled as his open mind seems to attract an idea went to his head. "Oh my, why didn't I think of this before? I can use my time to look around the place!" Shinji said to himself, slamming his own open palm with a fist. "After all, if I let that hentai Katsuragi-san lead me here, she might get me lost again." 

Shinji nodded to himself, and began to walk around NERV...

++++++++

Gendou Ikari contemplated as he tried to see the object in front of him. It was already been 15 minutes, yet his mind was still contemplating whether to use it or not. It has been 15 years already. He never used it as much... but then, his wife did use it a lot. 

Ah, those good times... How he missed her. 

Gendou nodded, and picked up the long black object, and pushed a few buttons. With that, he put the object to one of his 'holes' and waited...

****

RING! RING! RING!

"Hello?" a voice called, male. 

"Hello, I am inquiring for Onno Ikari..." Gendou replied monotonously. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, but Mr. Onno passed away..." the voice replied. 

Gendou's eyes narrowed. "Dead?" He didn't like the sound of that. "Recently?" 

"Oh, no, Mr. Onno had died 7 years ago, honorably defending his nephew," the voice replied. "Poor boy. At such a young age, too..." 

__

7 years ago? "Then, may I ask, who took care of Onno's nephew?" Gendou asked. 

"Oh, the Saotome Clan," the voice replied. 

__

NANI?! Gendou thought. 

++++++++

"Hmm, where am I?" Shinji asked to himself as he found himself in a big room filled with consoles, and a bit screen, showing the outside of Tokyo-3. 

He saw construction machines, pulling out what seems to be the remains of the Angel, and some pieces of armor of the EVA. And the city... ooh, after being hit with an N2 Mine and a kamikaze angel, it was utter destruction.

Looking around, he saw a long girl typing in one of her computers. Shinji cautiously approached her from behind, and took a look at what she was typing. 

It seemed to be a schematics, and some drawn out plans in the budget... there were also some plans of weapons being made, all stated in the computer screen. Shinji's mind seem to spark up at the word 'weapons', and it took a while to figure out why he was so giddy. 

Finally, he realized it, and smiled widely. "EUREKA!" he shouted out so loud, that the female operator jumped, fell down the chair, and rolled on the floor. "Oops..." Shinji murmured. "Oh my, I'm really sorry, miss..." 

Maya Ibuki, who was now sitting flat on her buttocks glared at the boy who had dared try to scare her... that is, until she recognized him, and heard him apologize. "Its okay, Shinji," Maya replied, smiling a bit. She began to stand up. 

Shinji was surprised. He never met the woman before, how did she know his name? He was about to ask, when something clicked in his mind once again. Her voice... it was so familiar. "Oh... OH! Now I know who you are!" Shinji stated excitedly. "You're Lt. Ibuki! The girl who talked to me during my fight! Hey! How are you?" 

Maya smiled. "Heh, its nice to know your voice and name remembered. By the way, Shinji-kun," she gave a thumbs-up sign, "nice work with the Angel!" 

"Ah, well, you know me," Shinji smirked, looking straight to her eyes. . "I'm badass Shinji Ikari, the Angel Slayer!" 

"Hmph, and so what does badass Angel Slayer Shinji Ikari want?" Maya gave out her own smirk. Shinji beamed. 

__

Finally! A normal human being! Shinji thought happily as his mind went to the other people he had met. 

Misato: nympho. 

Ritsuko: Closet Nympho. 

Gendou: No comment. 

Rei Ayanami: Cute... but a bit weird. 

Lt. Ibuki: Normal as the sun shining... and cute too! 

"I looked at your screen, sorry," Shinji added, bowing his head a bit. Maya didn't seem to mind, and motioned him to go on, which the boy did. "I saw you were typing some things about the Evangelions Weapon System..." 

"Oh, yeah, my friend works in the Weapons and Tactics section," Maya stated. "She asked for a favor, and I am doing so right now." 

"Oh, goody," Shinji smiled. "Would you introduce me to your friend? I need something from her... You said 'her' right?" 

"Shinji," Maya seem to admonish. "My friend is twice your age!" 

Shinji looked at Maya blankly for a while, and laughed as it finally dawned to him what Maya had meant. The woman also laughed. "No, sorry," Shinji said, waving his hand a bit. "I wanted to ask if it was possible to change my weapon, from the progressive knife, to something more of a sword." 

"A sword?" Maya asked. 

"Yeah, you know, big, long, hard, easily handled, especially by a woman..." Shinji described, with some hand movements. For some reason, the woman's face seems to flush a bit. Shinji ignored that, reasoning that it was hot in here, or that maybe the air conditioning was not on. "I really want one 'cause I am no good with a knife, Ibuki-san..." 

"You seem to hold on well with the knife a few moments ago, against the Angel," Maya reasoned. 

"Yeah, but I really prefer a sword," Shinji said. "Look, I can beg if you want. All I am just asking is for you to ask your friend if can make a sword for my EVA... not hard, right?" 

"Look, Shinji," Maya began. "It is not really my place to modify the EVAs. That is Dr. Akagi's and your father's job." 

"I'm not asking for a modification," Shinji replied. "Look, it's an additional weapon, not something to modify the EVA in any way..." and Shinji began to draw up a sword in a piece of paper. The sword he had planned was nothing special, but looked like a common katana, with a sheath. Maya listened for a bit, thought about it. After a few minutes, she shrugged. 

__

What the hell... she thought. "Okay, Shinji, I'll talk to my friend. But it may not be enough, alright? If you want some assurance, you talk to her yourself," Maya stated. Shinji absolutely beamed. He lunged towards Maya, and gave her a big hug. 

"Oh thanks!" Shinji said happily. "Thanks a lot, Ibuki-san! That is all I want!" 

Maya blushed as she felt the warmth of the boy in her body. She smiled a bit. "Maya..." she said. 

Shinji released his hold, and looked at the woman. "Huh?" 

"My name is Ibuki Maya," Maya replied. "Call me Maya." 

"Alright, Maya-san!" Shinji smiled. Then, he frowned. "Speaking of swords... Ms. Ritsuko never gave mines back! I have to find her!" 

And with that, he dashed out, with Maya looking at his retreating back. Shinji gave her a last look, and waved his hands towards her. 

++++++++

****

RING! RING! RING!

"Hello?" a male voice answered. 

"Is this the Saotome Residence?" Gendou asked. 

"Yes, who might be... wait a second... I know that voice," the male on the other line said softly. "Oh yeah... Rokubungi..." 

Gendou recognized the sneer. "Saotome Ranma," Gendou stated. 

"Yeah. What are you calling here for?" Ranma asked, his tone clearly not friendly. 

"I was informed that Onno had died 7 years ago, and that my son was taken care by your family," Gendou began. "I want to know why I was not informed." 

"Hey listen here, four-eyes," Ranma replied. "You just left your own son in a train bound to Nerima-1, in a crying fit. He had called your name for week, before he realized that you weren't coming to take him. Why should we even call you? It was clear you didn't care about your son." 

"Irrelevant," Gendou replied coldly. "My question was not answered." 

"Well, you want answers? I thought it was a bad idea informing you," Ranma stated. "Knowing you, you would have sent Shinji to Kami-sama knows where, so I took him in. He's got formal education, fed well, and under a nice warm roof. Did you even offer that to him, Rokubungi?" 

"You still haven't answered my question," Gendou replied. 

"If you still don't know, fine, let me put it bluntly," Ranma replied. "I thought you were much to incompetent of a bastard in taking care of your own son, thus the reason why you were not informed. When you sent that letter to him, I was actually planning to throw it out, after Shinji had read it, and asked me to explain. But Shinji said, 'What the hell?' and went along a long train ride to Tokyo-3. Why? Don't you recognize your own son now?" 

"You should have informed me, Saotome," Gendou replied. 

"Heh, well, just lift a middle finger in front of a mirror, and you got my reply, asshole," Ranma said before he cut the line. Gendou stared at the phone for a minute, before he put it back down. 

"Damn him..." Gendou replied, before slamming his fist down his desk. It was going to change the Scenario a lot now...

++++++++

"What? What do you mean Shinji's going to live in block 6? Alone?" Misato asked, surprised. 

"Yup," Ritsuko replied. "Management had spoken already." 

Currently, the two sexy women of EVA were near the vending machines, with Ritsuko having black coffee, and Misato with juice. They had some bruises in their faces, but then, that was normal, considering their catfight a moment ago. They both had agreed, after a few good hits in their faces, that they would avoid the subject of 'pervert' and 'dumb blonde'. 

"Well, why doesn't Shinji live with his father?" Misato asked. 

Ritsuko sighed. "According to Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, Commander Ikari and his son are naturally meant to be separated." 

"But still, Block 6," Misato looked up in the ceiling. It's a bad place for a young boy to live..." 

Ritsuko began to drink her coffee, raising her cup to hide her smirk. "Well, if you ask me, he deserves it..." she muttered. Misato raised her eyebrows, and stared at Ritsuko. 

The blonde woman took her cup down, with a neutral face. "What?" she asked.

"You... you did it!" Misato pointed at Ritsuko accusingly. "You told the management to let Shinji live in block six! You were angry at the 'dumb blonde' and stupid paint job comments that you actually asked them to boot Shinji in that awful part of Tokyo-3!" 

"NO! Why would I do that?!" Ritsuko replied calmly, but her lips were smirking. Misato gaped. 

"AHA! I KNEW IT! How could you do that to a kid, Ritsu?!" Misato demanded. 

"Oh don't act so innocent and all goody!" Ritsuko replied. "You are pissed off at him, too, aren't you?" 

"Oh my... excuse me, ladies," a male voice called behind Misato and Ritsuko. The two women had a blue face as they recognized the voice. Turning around, they found Shinji staring at them. "I'm not disturbing you, am I?" 

"No, not at all!" Ritsuko replied nervously, waving her hands a bit. After all, the boy, whether annoying or not, was scary at times. She didn't want him to find out that she had planned his living arrangements, oh no... "What brings you here, Shinji?" 

"I was just wondering if I could have my katana back," Shinji said. 

Ritsuko nodded. "Oh, sure. I asked the Weapons department to keep it. I'll go get it right now." 

Shinji smiled. "Oh thanks a lot. You know, for a blonde, you seem so nice..." 

Ritsuko's face went large, and was surrounded by a black aura. "What do you mean by that?" she said ominously. 

Shinji just smiled at her for a minute, then his face went blank for a minute. "Oh my... I forgot. Since I might be staying here, could anyone tell me where I will live?" he smiled, put a hand on his head. 

Misato looked at the boy for a moment, and almost swooned by the 'Kawaii' attack. Of all the things Shinji had said, he was still, deep down, friendly... okay, maybe not. But still, it was wrong. He was 14 years old! He couldn't live in such awful place! Sure, Rei does, but then, she is eccentric to the core. So before Ritsuko could speak, Misato replied, "With me." 

Ritsuko's jaw threatened to fall down the ground when Misato spoke. "NANI?!" Ritsuko practically shouted. 

"Oh my, we will grow deaf if she continues to speak like that..." Shinji commented. Ritsuko glared at him for a moment, then glared back to Misato. 

"What do you mean he is going to live with you?!!" Ritsuko demanded. 

"Why not?" Misato stated. "I have an extra large apartment, cozy enough for two more people. Why not?" Misato moved behind Shinji, and clasped his shoulder firmly. "I will not have him live alone you know." 

"Oh my… thanks a lot, Katsuragi-san," Shinji said, smiling back at her. 

"Oh, just call me Misato," Misato replied, smiling back. 

"Oh, okay, Misato-san…" 

"Oh no," Ritsuko began, pointing towards Misato. "I can't allow that, you know!" _Why is Misato trying to take him? Is it because… oh no… is it possible? _Ritsuko thought, and looked at Misato. _Is it possible that Shinji is right, and Misato is really… perverted? _

Misato read Ritsuko's face easily, and frowned. "Hey, I know what you are thinking, Ritsu, and you should know better! Its not like I'm going to take advantage of him!" 

"How come I don't seem to believe that?" Shinji asked, finger in his chin. Misato's eyebrows twitched. 

__

Ooh, you're so dead! Misato vowed, and grabbed Shinji's head, and gave her ultimate attack! "KATSURAGI NOOGIE!"

"OW! OW! Sorry! OW!" Shinji began to try to escape Misato's headlock and noogie, only to prove futile as Misato held on strongly. 

=-+ | Tokyo-3 | +-=

Shinji and Misato were back once again to her blue sports car, now looking a bit better, but still battered up. And she drove at less drastic speeds this time. 

It was planned that they would go and buy some instant food in a store, when Shinji commented that he would cook for today, and bought some fresh vegetables and meat. Shinji had known how to cook, thanks to his aunt Kasumi, who would love to demonstrate how she does her 'magic'. After years of practice, Shinji was more or less capable of making some great tasting food. 

Misato was about to drive home, when she had another idea. Smiling, she drove to her secret place, where she would show Shinji a majestic view of Tokyo-3. 

++++++++

"Come, see this," Misato said, as she took Shinji's hand. 

"Where are you taking me, Misato-san?" Shinji asked. 

"Somewhere special," Misato replied, smiling. 

"Nothing perverted?" Shinji teased, with a small smirk. Misato's face didn't seem to be amused, and looked at Shinji with very dark blue eyes. Shinji wiped the smirk off. "Joking, Misato-san." 

"Good," she said evenly. "Now, take a look at that!" 

She pointed towards the overview of Tokyo-3, the sun now falling down from the horizon. The normally blue sky was now red, as the sun began to sink. 

It was a nice view, but the city seemed so… barren, to Shinji. Misato must have read his face, and smiled. "Watch closely. Any minute now…" 

Shinji was about to ask what she had meant, when buildings suddenly seem to grow up from nowhere. Shinji watched in awe, as the city became even more alive, with tall buildings reflecting the light. "Wow…" he muttered. 

"This is the city you have defended, Shinji-kun," Misato said, smiling at the boy. "your new home." 

Shinji smiled back towards Misato. "Misato-san…" Shinji began, and now closed his eyes, still smiling. "You aren't so bad…" 

Misato twitched. "I'll let that slide," Misato took a deep breath. "Anyway, I hope you really do deliver your promise of good food, 'cause we are going to have a wild time!" 

"Really?" Shinji asked, curious. "Oh my… I hope its nothing perverted…" 

Misato twitched again. "Nothing perverted! We are going to have a party to welcome my new room-mate!" 

"And sex-slave?" Shinji asked, his face curious. Misato twitched more this time. 

"Strike three, boy…" Misato muttered. "You're dead…" and she took her arms out, intending to give Shinji another taste of her noogie. "COME HERE!" 

Shinji pulled down one of his eyes. "Nene! You can't catch me!" and began to run away. The two went to a new chase...

++++++++

"Anyway, I just moved in here, so it might be a mess," Misato stated, as she opened the door to her apartment. "Still, can't believe you came here without stuff." 

"Well, I really thought I wouldn't stay here for more than one day," Shinji replied. "I was going to tell my dad to shove his letter in his mouth, but then, the Angel came… sigh… curse those Angels." 

Of all the jokes Shinji ever mentioned, this one made her laugh. "Hahaha, heh, you don't like your dad, do you?" Misato entered the apartment, and opened the lights. Shinji followed. 

"Nope, not really," Shinji muttered. He took a good look around with narrow eyes. "Oh my… this place needs a good cleaning." 

'Oh my' was right. Everywhere, the whole place was scattered with empty cans of beer. It was a clutter zone. If this were Shinji's room, Aunt Kasumi would have punished him severely. 

"Yeah, don't rub it in," Misato muttered. "So, you ready to cook?" 

Shinji nodded. "Sure, but would you mind if I take a bath first?" Shinji made a disgusted face. "LCL is so yucky…" 

"You didn't take a bath in the base?" Misato asked, eyebrows raised. 

"No, not really," Shinji admitted. "I wanted to take a look around the base first. Would you mind?" 

Misato shrugged her shoulders. "No, not really," Misato replied. "But still, you should have taken at least a shower back in the base. LCL will begin to smell after a day, or so. Once, Rei didn't shower, and slept on LCL... whoo, you would not believe the smell!" 

Shinji blanched. "Was it that bad?" He raised his arms a bit, and tried to smell himself. There was a faint smell of LCL. 

"Worse than bad!" Misato made a face. "The whole base smelled of rotten LCL. We had to work with a gas masks!" 

Shinji turned blue. "Oh, I don't want that!" and with that, he rushed out of the living room, now finding the bathroom. 

Misato smirked. She was joking, but with that, she had learned something more about Shinji. He can cook, he hates being smelly, seems to have a clean streak. It was obvious by the way Shinji looked at her apartment. His eyes narrowed, and looked serious. 

"Ano, Misato, where are the towels?" Shinji's voice called. 

"Oh, in the corner, near the bathroom. There is a closet there," Misato replied back. 

After a few moments of silence, Misato heard Shinji's voice again. "Oh my! Found the towels, but Misato-san, you should really hide your underwear, and not leave it hanging there..." 

"HEY! DON'T TOUCH THOSE!" Misato threatened to stand up. 

"Hey, hold your horses," Shinji's reply came. "I'm no pervert like you, Misato-san." 

Misato twitched as she stood up, threatening to give another session of the dreaded Katsuragi Noogie, but thought otherwise. She walked towards the fridge, and grabbed one can of beer, opened it with a **pop!** and began to drank deeply. 

Gulp... gulp... gulp... "AAAHHHH! Now that is good..." Misato proclaimed as the cold bitter liquid entered her system. For a moment, she forgot that she was inside her home, with Shinji taking a bath. That is what she liked about beer. It made her forget. 

Shinji's voice came once again, this time, in surprise. "OH MY?!" Then, sounds of footsteps, and the door slid open, revealing Shinji in his fully lean and well-muscled naked body. Misato, who was drinking, spits the liquid out, and felt her cheeks go hot. 

"W-what is it, S-Shinji?" Misato asked nervously. 

"There was a penguin in the bath," Shinji replied calmly, not really scared, but more surprised. The mentioned penguin came out, with a towel draped on its shoulders, and walked towards the lower fridge. One of its claws pressed a button, and the lower fridge opened. The penguin gave them a last look, before he entered his sanctuary. 

Misato smiled a bit at the penguin. "Oh, that was Pen-Pen, but since the Author is a bit lazy, lets just call him Pen^2, okay? Anyway, Pen^2 is a warm-water penguin." 

"Warm-water penguin?" Shinji asked. 

"Yeah, some sort of experiment by the Genetics Department," Misato looked back at Shinji, and blushed a bit. _Keep your eyes, up, woman... _Misato scolded herself. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you." 

Shinji nodded at her. "But then, if Pen^2 is a warm-water penguin as you say, why does he reside in a fridge?" 

Misato was stumped. Her mind began to work, trying to figure out the answer of the question. After all, it made perfect sense! But with the lack of knowledge, and maybe the effect of some alcohol, her mind was not working as good as it did. So, she did something else. She changed the subject. 

"Ano, Shinji-kun, shouldn't you cover that up?" Misato asked, pointing nervously at his down-below. Shinji looked down, and his face blushed. Misato was surprised. It was the first time she had seen him react like that! Well, another additional knowledge for her! 

Shinji covered his privates, and stared at Misato. "MISATO-SAN!" he shouted, surprising the woman even more. "I know you have urges, but I am just a 14 year old boy! How could you even think like..." Shinji stopped as he saw a pack of toothpicks flying towards him. He got hit head first. "Ow!" Shinji declared, rubbing his sore spot. "Hey!" 

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" Misato began to grab another handful of objects, How dare the boy accuse her like that! She threw the objects towards the boy. 

"Hey! Ow! It was a joke, Misato-san! Don't get so –ow!- serious!" Shinji closed the door, and ran towards the bathroom, laughing. 

In the living room, Misato was breathing deeply. Her hands and eyebrows were twitching. Oh, how she loved to punish the boy! Taking another big gulp of beer, she settled down in her chair, her temper going down. 

__

Sigh, she thought. _I raelly should be treating him better... but one more joke about me being a hentai... _[picture of Misato with a whip…] _What the?! THE HELL? _[picture of Misato whipping Shinji...] Misato blushed even more deeply. _Holy! Maybe Shinji was right! Maybe I am a hentai! _

Misato hit her head on the table multiple times. 

++++++++

__

Misato Katsuragi... she's a nice woman... Shinji smirked. _Of course, she has to behave. She could have been as old as my mom... _

At the thoughts of his mom, Shinji's face now supported a frown. Looking up the ceiling, he closed his eyes, and sighed. 

Around him, warm water loosened his worked up muscles. It was one of those things that can really make him relax. Hot water, a nice warm bed, and meditation. His uncle Ranma had once told Shinji that he was attracted to 'warm' things. Shinji had asked, if that was bad, and Ranma just gave a enigmatic smile. 

__

I miss them... Shinji thought as his memories came towards a red-head girl in Chinese clothes, and another girl with short black hair and a pink bandana around her head and an umbrella. _I wonder when will I see those two again... I hope soon. It will be like old times... _Shinji smiled. 

++++++++

Shinji came out of the baths, smelling strangely like an orange grove, now dressed up in the same clothes, but this time, his shirt was black, and his pants were white. His katana that he took back from Ritsuko was in his side, clipped in the belt. 

Misato perked up at the new scent and looked at Shinji smiling at her. "Sorry for making you wait. You hungry?"

Misato could only nod. Shinji nodded back. 

"Alright. It will just take a few minutes, 30 mins. max, so please be patient," Shinji grabbed the grocery bags, and began to sort the ingredients. Misato watched carefully, with Shinji's smiling face preparing the food. 

"So, what are you going to cook?" Misato asked. 

Shinji smiled back at her. "Well, considering how much we bought, I can give you Aunt Kasumi's very special beef bowl!" 

Misato couldn't help but smile with him. She pointed a finger to Shinji. "You better hurry up, boy!" 

"Yes mistress," Shinji replied, now smirking. 

So, that is how Shinji and Misato moved in together... 

To Be Continued...

NEXT: Shinji has two new guests, a new school, a new Angel, and finally, a new weapon! 


	4. 1:3

**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**

**1:3 - Rivals**

"Oh my!" Shinji moaned as the masked Misato readied her whip once more.

"You are mine, Shinji!" the woman laughed as she grabbed a lit candle. "All mine!"

"Oh my!!" Shinji moaned once more, echoing.

It was a new day for Misato. Not that she liked it. She wasn't a normal morning person. Her job would entail normally that her office hours would be erratic at best, but at least she was comforted to know she didn't need to show up at NERV in the morning, unless it was an emergency.

However, she woke up because she just had a weird dream. A really weird dream. Sitting up, and checking herself if she was… well, wet, only to sigh with relief as she found herself as dry as a summer morning.

She didn't need that annoying kid to tease her about being a pervert.

Standing up, she dressed to cover her nakedness, partly wanting to show her new roommate, Shinji Ikari, that she was at least a responsible adult to look up to (and not insult), and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

"Shinji?" Misato called as she wiped her face on her towel.

The halls were silent. It was empty, somewhat cleaner than yesterday, but still empty. There were no signs of the Third Child. Thinking he was still asleep, Misato went to his room and knocked.

"Shinji? You awake?" she asked.

Hearing no answer, she silently slid the door opened, and was greeted with nothing. She panicked. Immediately going towards her cell phone, she dialed the code for Section Two, the one's responsible for watching over the Children. The other line answered promptly.

_**Section Two. Yes, Katsuragi-san? **_

"I think we have a code-red. Pilot Ikari is nowhere to be found," Misato replied hurriedly. Part of her was worried about the kid, honestly. A larger part of her feared her job. Losing a Child after one day? Even Ritsuko wouldn't dare laugh at the incompetence.

_**Uh… Katsuragi-san… Pilot Ikari is still in the premise.**_

"Where!?" Misato demanded.

_**At the rooftop, ma'am. **_

Faster than one could spit, Misato climbed the stairs to the roof. When she arrived though, she stopped dead on her tracks…

Shinji was topless, perspiring as he waved his sword to a dance-like kata, each of his strike coming fluidly and with grace, speed and power. The metal shone as light hit its reflective surface, as if making Shinji's visage was swarmed with the lights of the stars themselves.

Misato had to swallow. Unknown to her, her face was flushed.

Shinji wasn't finished though. Sheathing his sword, he began to use his fist and legs, punching and kicking an unknown enemy, still fluid and balanced (though this time, it lacked the sparkling light effects that affected Misato), and ended with a jump in the air, and an instant, a downward slash.

The boy then took a deep breathe, and slowly sheathing his weapon once more. His face relaxed, as if he was sleeping. Misato took that opportunity to approach him.

"Shinji?" she asked, still looking slightly flushed.

"Misato-san?" Shinji looked at his new guardian, and smiled slightly. "Oh my… look at your perverted face. Was my manliness enough to light your flaming womanhood?"

"Shut up…" Misato growled, and hit her fist to his head, making a loud thwack sound. She regained her emotions, though her blush was still evident. "That was… good."

"Thanks," Shinji replied smiling, walking towards a corner where his white Chinese shirt was in place. He picked it up, and wore it, not bothering buttoning himself up. "I have to maintain myself… I noticed that I was slightly slower this morning than I was before. Piloting the big purple jelly donut really took a toll at me. Plus all the training with guns… eh."

Misato snickered at the Evangelion's unofficial naming by its pilot, but groaned at Shinji's mention of target practice.

He was agreeable when it came to educating him about the Evangelion's capabilities. If he was going to pilot it, he wanted to know his Evangelion's limitation. Tidbits including the umbilical chord, which supplied its energy, was something he'd want to know. However, he disliked gun and target practice, being an avid martial art practitioner.

It annoyed him to death, and not wanting to suffer alone, he in turn annoyed Ritsuko and Misato to death with it as well, much to their exasperation.

"Who taught you those moves?" Misato asked.

"Uncle Ranma and Auntie Kasumi," Shinji replied, smiling slightly.

"They taught you well…" Misato said.

"True… but I didn't become this good just by their teachings," Shinji said.

"Oh? How did you become good then?"

"Rivals," Shinji declared with a wide smile.

=-=-=-| Train Station |-=-=-=

As the train began to descend in speed, the PA announcement made its monotonous yet advisable warning over its system.

_**Welcome to Tokyo-3. Please keep behind the yellow line to insure safety. Yes, I'm talking to you. Thank you. **_

"Damnit, Saotome!" a young woman, age sixteen, with short dark hair and a pink bandanna declared as she was pulled by another young woman, also sixteen, out of the train. The former wore very loose yellow shirt with long sleeves, tight fitting black pants under a white loose skirt that didn't reach her knees. She also carried a pink umbrella.

The girl pulling her had red hair that flowed behind her, wore a ponytail that loosely allowed the wind to play with its strands. She wore a rather tight fitting red Chinese dress, its skirt slit cut somewhat a bit too high, but didn't show much of the girl's legs because she wore black cycling shorts underneath it.

"Oh, shush, Kima," the girl, named Ranko Saotome, declared. "If I let go, who knows where you'll end up."

Kima Hibiki growled. While Ranko did indeed have a point, being dragged around made her feel childish.

"I still fail to see the reason why we're here…" Kima muttered quietly.

"Are you kidding?" Ranko looked a bit offended. "Shinji'll be bored without us! Who's going to keep him in line physically!?"

"He has enough discipline to know if he doesn't… he's gonna get hurt," Kima declared with a mild threat. He was her rival, like Ranko… and if he ever lowered his skill level, he knew she'd hurt him pretty bad.

"He may try to keep in shape, yeah, but he'll need us! Like how your dad and my dad needed each other to cross their highest plateau!" Ranko argued.

"Fine, fine!" Kima admitted defeat, and allowed herself to be dragged out of the train station. After a few steps, they stopped, looking at the rather empty and barren streets.

"Uh… Kima…?"

"Yes, Saotome?"

"Do you know Shinji's address or number…?"

There was a slight pause. The daughter of the Lost Boy looked at her rival with narrowed eyes, annoyance evident.

"Saotome… you're an idiot."

=-=-=-| Tokyo-3 High |-=-=-=

In a classroom, Shinji seated somewhere in the middle. He could see Rei Ayanami, bandaged, seating further on his right, right by the windows. She just stared at the space.

Why was he here again?

Oh right. Misato told him to.

Even Evangelion Pilots need their education, she had said to him. Not that he had minded, for the logic held true. What did bother him though was NERV was going all out to plant him in Tokyo-3.

Piloting the big purple robot he assumed would be a one-time deal… or at least until the quiet blue-haired Rei recovered, that is. Once she was well enough, he suppose, he'd to go back to Nerima-1, but not only was he placed under a well-meaning but perverted woman, Misato, he was also now put to a school.

NERV had to learn more subtly. Then again, his father ran the place, so NERV could be excused, he thought quietly as he sat on his desk.

"Hey… it's a new kid…"

"Odd… usually, people tend to move outta here…"

"Is… is he carrying a sword?"

"Probably for show…"

Okay, maybe carrying his sword to school wasn't exactly a smart idea, but NERV seemed to the authority to override school rules as none of the adults even tried to reprimand him in carrying such a dangerous looking weapon. Besides… he felt safer with his weapon, considering where he had come from.

Nerima-1 High had lax school rules. It had to be, as it was the city that held the Martial Arts master, Ranma Saotome and also his equally powerful wife, Kasumi Saotome. Not to mention his well-known rival, Ryoga Hibiki and his wife, Akane Hibiki as well… just these names alone heralded a collection of martial artists of varying degrees to gather to train with, if not challenge the two families. It was a hot spot for martial artists of high caliber, some, if not most martial art students were just high school students, who challenged each other everyday.

"All rise!" the Class Representative, a cute dark haired young woman stated. The class followed her example, and stood. "Bow!"

"Good Morning, sensei!" the students greeted.

The teacher, a rather old man nodded, and waited for the students to sit. He then drawled, "We have a new transferee student, coming from Nerima-1…"

The class bustled.

"Nerima-1! He's from that crazy place?"

"Is it as crazy as a warzone like Tokyo-3?"

"I guess it explains the sword…"

"QUIET!" the Class Representative, Hikari Horaki, shouted, slamming her hands to her desk. When the class settled down, she sat as well, urging their teacher to continue.

"Thank you…" the old teacher then looked towards Shinji, and called him up.

The school may have allowed him to carry his sword, but they were adamant with the uniform. The Third Child readily agreed, as the uniform itself wasn't so conforming. His dark pants was already something of a standard, and they allowed the usage of any footwear as long as they weren't sandals or slippers. The shirt though was something he had to get. A white buttoned shirt, which he wore over his Chinese shirt.

Even then, some of the girls in the class had to whisper amongst themselves. Shinji Ikari carried himself with confidence and grace, an attractive notion to them. He had a gentle yet also animalistic aura around him.

"Please introduce yourself," the old teacher stated.

"Shinji Ikari," and the boy bowed slightly. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Hope we get along well."

His introduction was short, but swift. He gave nothing more about himself, adding an even more attractive layer of mystery. All this, Shinji Ikari had no knowledge of. He was slowly building a fan base, even at his first day, without aiming to.

A true ignoramus.

"Very well, back to your seat, Ikari-san," the teacher said. "Now… let's begin class…"

Class was… boring, to say the least. So boring even Shinji, who was usually patient had to veer off somewhere. The old teacher was probably the most monotonous human being he had ever met. On and on, he went on about the Second Impact, how it had flooded most of the world, killed billions of people, eroded the economy and basically sang it was the end of the world as most knew it, but it was still fine.

Thankfully, Shinji didn't need to look far for a distraction. One came to him… at a form of an anonymous instant message to the laptop at his desk.

_Are you the pilot of robot? Y/N_

Shinji blinked. He debated a moment, wondering whether to answer truthfully or lie. Misato had never said about him not talking his status as a pilot of the Evangelion. He felt no need to gloat he was a pilot of a huge humanoid city destroyer. In the end, he fell back on the things his aunt and uncle taught, which was to be true to oneself.

_Y_

The class suddenly burst. Not even the class representative could now control the mob that suddenly appeared around Shinji, who was suddenly surprised. He was sure he wanted to press the N button, but then chalked it up as destiny or something.

Everyone started to throw him questions. Simple ones, he answered truthfully the others, he didn't even want to contemplate on. The old teacher seemed to ignore everything that was transpiring, while Rei looked at the scene with unattached interest, and then continued to look outside the window.

"HEY! I said SETTLE DOWN!" Hikari shouted, and began to take the more physical route, something that impressed Shinji. Watching the girl with a rather lithe frame shoving her elbows at the crowd, shouting at them to sit back down had to be given respect. In the end, she had quieted the class down single-handedly.

Soon, it was lunchtime, and a few girls of their class invited Shinji to lunch. He politely refused, of course, and they in turn would accept the rejection in good sport, not wanting him to be annoyed by them… but they couldn't help but watch him when he approached Rei's desk.

"Hey, Ayanami-san," Shinji greeted.

"Ikari-san…" Rei greeted back.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Shinji asked.

"I am in no need for sustenance for the moment," Rei replied unemotionally.

"Oh my… that's no good," Shinji then grabbed his bag and took out a lunchbox. "Here you go. I made extra."

"Ikari-san… thank you, but…"

"Just take it, Ayanami-san. You look like you need it."

The females bustled once more.

"What the heck… they know each other?"

"She's… she's already got her claws on him!"

"Wish he gave me that lunchbox…"

A nerdy spectacled boy, who ate together with the Class Representative, Hikari, gave a low whistle as the whispers reached his ears.

"New guy didn't even have to lift a finger, and they are all swarming over him… man, some people get all the luck," he sighed.

"I'm sure it's because he has that rather approachable aura around him, plus his kind demeanor, Aida," Hikari replied.

"You're not falling for him too, are you?" the spectacled boy, Kensuke Aida looked at Hikari suspiciously.

"Don't be silly," Hikari growled softly, then sighed. Kensuke knew what was on her mind.

"I'm sure Toji's fine," he replied in kind.

"He hasn't appeared yet…" Hikari said.

"He's fine…" Kensuke replied with more conviction.

The Class Representative didn't look too comforted, until someone entered the room, looking a bit angry. He was a tough looking boy in a black tracksuit, his hair rather messed up, and looked generally confused at the aura of his classroom.

"What the hell is going on here?" the boy in the black jacket asked.

Hikari's sad and forlorn longing look transformed to a smiling and relieved visage. Toji Suzuhara had arrived, looking okay. Ever since the last Angel attack, she had been worried what had happened to him… as a Class Representative, mind.

The Nile apparently isn't just a river in Egypt.

"Hey, Toji!" Kensuke called. Toki saw his friend, and Hikari along, and joined them.

"Hey," Toji greeted before looking at Hikari. "Sorry I'm late. I had to visit my sister at the hospital."

Hikari looked at him, alerted. "What happened?"

"The Angel attack happened…" Toji growled angrily. "That and the damn purple robot it was fighting made a mess. My sister was driven under rubble."

"Heh… maybe this will cheere ya up somehow…" Kensuke then pointed subtly towards Shinji. "See that new guy, Toji? He's the pilot of that said robot."

Toji froze, and looked towards Shinji as he interacted with the silent Rei. He grinned darkly.

"I think I'll greet him properly."

=-=-=-| School Grounds |-=-=-=

Shinji looked towards the two boys who insisted he come with them. Ever the amicable, Shinji had went with them after he had convinced Rei to at least get a bite off his lunchbox. They brought him in the grassy soccer fields in the school grounds.

"I hear you're the pilot of that robot?" Toji asked.

"Uh… yes, I am," Shinji answered honestly. There was no real need to hide it now, but he was surprised when the kid with the black jacket lunged at him, hoping to deliver a punch. He easily dodged it.

"Hold still!" Toji growled, and punched again, only for Shinji to dodge once more, and move back a few steps, his lips now smirking. It annoyed Toji to no end.

"A challenge?" Shinji asked his hand going for his sheathed sword.

"Coward!" Toji declared, giving him an accusing finger. "You hide behind a weapon!?"

"Don't be silly," Shinji replied easily. Uncle Ranma taught him to provoke and not to be provoked as a basic rule of combat. "A fight is a fight. Anything goes!"

"I'm going to avenge my sister!" Toji declared, readying to a fighting stance.

"Your sister?" Shinji blinked. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Toji Suzuhara! Because of you and your stupid robot, you put my sister in the hospital!"

Shinji paused, and looked at the boy with a pitying expression, which made Toji even madder. Before anyone could say anything though, a shout rang through the air. Losing his pitying expression, Shinji suddenly dashed towards Toji and shoved him aside as a pink umbrella suddenly hit the ground where Shinji had stood earlier.

"Wha… what the hell?" Kensuke stuttered. He was even more stunned when he heard a female battle-cry.

"IKARI, PREPARE TO DIE!"

"Could it be…?" Shinji's face then broke to a grin. Out of nowhere, Kima charged at him. In a flash, Shinji had crossed the distance, and unsheathed his sword, hitting Kima directly at her chest, so hard that even with her inhuman endurance brought out by the Bakusai Tenketsu, she had collapsed to a knee.

"Damn you… Ikari…" Kima growled, though she smiled.

"I missed you too, Kima," Shinji declared openly.

"Miss these!" Kima shouted as she threw multiple bandanas like they were boomerangs at Shinji, who easily dodged them, only for it to be a distraction as a fiery red-head came out of hiding and charged in towards Shinji as well.

"Ranko!" Shinji smiled as he dodged her punched, and countered with his own kicks. Using his sword as a means to keep her distanced, he also noticed Kima had gotten her umbrella back, and the three began to have their own battle-royale.

"This… is… insane!" Toji declared after watching Shinji take a solid and very gut-wrenching punch to the face, but seemed to shrug it off, as it was nothing.

The girls were pretty, something the two would notice immediately, but they were more entranced by their strength. It was nothing to scoff at… the red-haired girl was fast with her close combat attacks, while the dark-haired girl had monstrous strength. She had punched a hole on the ground just a few moments ago, missing Shinji, and was also wielding her umbrella that had made a depression on the soccer field just a few moments ago.

The worst part for Toji was noticing that Shinji was battling them so easily… enjoying it even.

Ranko and Shinji then escalated their fight towards the air, jumping like they could fly, hitting each other with fists, kicks, and sword attacks, and when they landed, separated as Kima came in and attacked them anew.

"Wow… guess this is normal for him, coming from Nerima-1…" Kensuke chuckled slightly, only to sweat as he saw Toji turn and glare at him.

"He's from Nerima-1!? And you didn't even tell me!?" Toji almost shouted. "Did you want to get me killed!?"

"Hey, you were all gung-ho about your sister, man… didn't want to get in the way."

Before Toji could even counter that, there was a rather loud CLANG! and they spotted Shinji's sword flipping away to the ground near them. They also both noticed that the sword was reversed edge, and then realized that Shinji was without his weapon, and looked back at him.

He still held on impressively, but his hand-to-hand combat skills were nowhere near as good as Ranko who was able to corner him in grappling positions that threw him around like a rag doll. As he was distracted, Kima used the opportunity to hit Shinji with her umbrella, scoring a solid hit that sent him flying towards a tree.

"I give…" Shinji coughed as he comforted his wounds with his hands.

"You're slower than last time, Ikari!" Kima declared with a smirk. "Don't tell me you were slacking of… OW! What the hell Saotome!?"

While Kima was delivering a speech, Ranko sucker-punched Kima behind her head, launching her away. She then took her tongue out while at the same time, pulled down the lower part of her eye, giving Kima a teasing expression while posing quite sexily for Toji and Kensuke's viewing pleasure.

"Nyeh! You got distracted there, Kima! Don't preach about slacking off because you do the same!" Ranko declared, and dodged an incoming umbrella strike from Kima.

"Saotome! How dare you attack me from behind!"

"Don't blame me coz you were too distracted! Stuuupid!"

"You're the idiot! Didn't you come here without a clue to where we'd locate Ikari, eh?" Kima seethed.

"Hey, my idea going towards the local high school worked, right? At least I don't get lost after crossing a block!"

"Don't bring my family curse into this, Saotome!"

"Maybe you need a leash?"

"DIE SAOTOME!!!"

Ranko grinned. Perfect! "Hiryu Shoten Ha!"

A large whirlwind erupted from the school grounds, sending Kima spiraling up in the sky, and landing just a few meters away from Shinji, face first, forming a Kima-shaped indentation. Ranko then jumped up, raised her fist in victory.

"Woo-hoo! I win!" she declared. "That makes marks our 659th battle! It's to my favor!"

"Damnit Saotome!" Kima declared as she stood up. "I thought you already know the Perfect Hiryu Shoten Ha? Was there any need to piss me off!?"

"What fun would that be?" Ranko countered.

"Kamis… they are goddesses! Battle goddesses!" Kensuke declared, on his knees. He almost caught himself kowtowing at their sheer presence.

Ranko approached Kensuke and Toji, who took a few steps back, in fear and wonderment as she took Shinji's blade, and next grabbed Kima's umbrella. She slowly made her way to them. The two boys followed slightly, not wanting to draw attention to themselves as Ranko gave Kima and Shinji, who both were recovering and standing up, their weapons back.

"Kima's right though," Ranko then stated easily, as she gave Shinji his sword back. He sheathed it. "You have gotten slower. What the hell happened?"

"It's a long story," Shinji scratched the back part of his head.

"Hmph…" Ranko gave Kima's umbrella to her, and then looked at Shinji once more. "Well? Aren't you going to give your big sister a hug?"

"Oh my… aren't we a bit too old for that?" Shinji asked innocently.

"Incestuous…" Kima declared, covering it up with a not so subtle cough.

"Oh shut up!" Ranko glared at Kima, who along with Shinji, laughed. Taking initiative, she pulled Shinji to her arms, and hugged him. "I missed ya, little bro."

"I missed you too, big sis," Shinji replied. "What brought you guys here?"

"Well, after you left, it was boring…" Ranko began, but then noticed that a crowd was beginning to form. It seemed like their fight had caused a commotion, and everyone was looking at them oddly.

The girls began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Another girl!"

"Two in fact!"

"How forward!"

"Isn't Shinji with Rei? Who are these girls!?"

The boys too began to whisper.

"Whoa… what babes!"

"Damn Shinji! That lucky bastard!"

Ranko gave them an evil eye. "What the hell are you all gawking about! This ain't no freak show! Get outta here!!"

The crowd dispersed almost immediately, leaving only the brave, suicidal, enamored, totally bushwhacked (Toji and Kensuke) and the very neutral (Rei) in their midst. Ranko ignored them, looking back at Shinji.

"Going to school here, eh? Does that mean your stay is permanent or something?" she asked.

"Kinda… do you know about Evangelions?" Shinji asked. Getting a negative reaction from both, he then explained about what happened the day he arrived here, and how he was forced to pilot the robot without prior training.

Unbeknownst to him, his little explanation was being overheard by Toji and Kensuke, the former becoming more ashamed with every passing second. He had assumed the pilot of the robot was just some devil-may-care ass, or a very well-trained soldier who did nothing but obey orders and disregarded everything else… but a kid who was just forced into it?

"You're father aggravates me…" Kima growled as Shinji continued.

"Everything aggravates you…" Shinji teased, but nodded. "But yeah… seems he wants me to stay here longer…" the boy sighed. "It is boring here! I was forced to do gun training! Guns! Sure, I don't hold the guns personally, but really."

"No wonder your skills degraded somewhat…" Ranko shook her head. She noticed a slight movement coming towards them, and spotted Rei Ayanami approaching them.

"Pilot Ikari…" Rei called.

"Oh, hey, Ayanami-san," Shinji greeted back. "Girls, this is Rei. She's also a pilot, though as you can see, she isn't fit to do so yet."

"Hey," Kima greeted.

"Yo," Ranko looked at the girl from head to toe as if analyzing her. Rei ignored it.

"Pilot Ikari, we're being recalled to NERV…" the pale girl stated monotonously.

"Another Angel…?" Shinji asked.

"An Angel?" Kensuke spoke up for the first time, gaining the attention of Kima and Ranko. "If that's… true… then how come the alarms haven't…"

And like the word of Kami-sama, Kensuke's words came as a self-fulfilling prophecy. The city alarm suddenly sounded, announcing an Angel attack, and urging civilians to get to the shelters.

"Nevermind…" Kensuke bowed his head.

=-=-=-| NERV HQ |-=-=-=

The bridge was on full alert. The UN and JSSDF had detected the presence coming in from the sea, and the MAGI had confirmed it was indeed a Blue Pattern, indicating the nature of their uninvited guest.

Section Two had arrived with Shinji and Rei. They had picked them up directly from school, and both pilots went on the lower parts of Geofront to the Evangelion cages. There, they dressed towards their plugsuits.

The plug suit was, as Ritsuko would say, a thin layer of clothing that promoted nerval sharing of impulses, as it was the one thing that made Evangelions work. It made synchronizing with them easier, and it was completely LCL proof. Combined with the A10 Nerve Clips, which were triangular clips worn in the hair, that was the official uniform of EVA pilots.

Shinji had mentioned it looked totally unfashionable, and the faux blonde tried to stab him with her pen when he turned his back on her. Maya held her back. Truly odd.

"Here's the briefing towards your next assignment," Misato was at her element. In full uniform, even Shinji had to sit up straight, watching the slob of a woman he lived with suddenly change her personality. Truly wonderful.

The picture of the angel appeared in front of the screen where Shinji and Rei looked. It was is a massive, vaguely arthropod-like creature, with a long cylindrical body, a roughly shovel-shaped head with two eyespot-like markings, and eight retractable limbs. It also seemed to have two short arms that seemed energy in nature, and looked more like whips.

"Oh my… how ugly…" Shinji declared, his face unfazed. Misato smiled somewhat towards the boy.

"Unit-01 will be our main combatant, with Unit-00 on standby," she stated. "Any questions?"

"Um, Misato-san… about my request…" Shinji began, and the woman just nodded.

"R&D Weapons Department actually finished your request, Shinji-kun," Misato declared softly, losing her professional tone. "But Commander Ikari hadn't cleared it for combat use yet. Sorry."

"Its okay," Shinji smiled, though looked a bit disappointed. He had wanted to try out that sword that he had discussed with the cute and lovely Maya Ibuki, and like she promised, she did get the word out to her friend in the Weapons Department. The only thing that stood in his way in getting the actual weapon was his own hard-ass father.

"No more questions? Good. Operation starts now."

Rei nodded, and stood up, bowed, and left the conference room. Shinji too was about to follow when Misato gave him her regards.

"Shinji… be careful…" she stated.

"Don't worry Misato-san…" Shinji smiled at her. "If I died… who'd take care of you?"

Misato's forehead twitched slightly. "Don't push your luck, mister."

"I know you dream about me every night…" Shinji teased. He was rewarded with another patented Katsuragi noogie.

=-=-=-| Shelters |-=-=-=

"Damn… this is boring…!" Kensuke muttered as he tried to change frequencies of his laptop. "Everywhere, a media black-out!"

Toji didn't listen, his eyes fixated on two young women near them. Just a few moments ago, he had witnessed a rather hardcore if not fantastical free-for-all that left him breathless. The rumors about Nerima-1 had of course reached ears to many of the internet-inclined people, which were probably almost any high school student, but even the video clips in ThouTube (a video sharing website) had nothing against something Toji had just observed.

Near them, Ranko and Kima looked bored out of their minds, the latter shifting from her seating position to another.

"Ugh… why are we here, like some pack of sardines," Kima muttered angrily.

"Didn't you hear Shinji earlier? It's an Angel attack, like what my dad told me about. Tokyo-3's like a hot zone for that stuff. It's like our annual Amazon Husband Hunt," Ranko replied easily, shrugging.

Ah yes, the famous Nerima-1 annual event, where Chinese Amazons would come every year to search for strong husbands; it was a spectacle there back in Nerima-1.

"Bah… what's so special about Angels?" Kima punched her open palm.

Kensuke overheard that. Taking the opportunity, he grabbed Toji by surprise and forced him to join him to talk with the new girls.

"Angels are like alien creatures from outer space," the spectacled boy declared suddenly, appearing near Ranko and Kima, Toji trying to force himself away. He didn't feel comfortable around them yet… especially considering that they seemed close to Shinji (who he tried to beat up) and how they could easily kick his ass.

"Oh… hey, you guys are from Shinji's school," Ranko stated. Kensuke's smile widened.

"Yup. Kensuke Aida. This is Toji Suzuhara."

"Uh… hey…" Toji muttered softly.

"We're Shinji's new… uh… friends," Kensuke lied boldly. "So, yeah, Angels are unofficially aliens from outer space conquering us."

"Unofficially?" Kima asked.

"Yup. No government will admit it, but seriously who can hide stuff that big?" Kensuke shifted his glasses upwards, reflecting a glancing light slightly, giving him a very serious expression. "Even the whole crap propaganda about the Impact on the Northern Pole? Almost anyone not living under a rock knows that it was no meteor. It was actually the first Angel attack!"

Kensuke then began to type once more in his laptop, opening windows each showing different news article about the Second Impact fifteen years ago, and some pictures of Unit-01 fighting off an Angel.

"The newspaper articles were eradicated, erased," the spectacled boy smirked. "I was able to get these through various of connections, and the pictures were taken from cell phone cameras which everyone has these days… but it pretty much shows how much they are trying to hide from us."

"Huh… interesting…" Ranko looked at the pictures with Unit-01 fighting an Angel. "This is what Shinji pilots?"

"Yup. Even if he didn't say anything, seriously… transferring here just a few days after the alien attack?" Kensuke shook his head. "Almost everyone already suspected he was a pilot of that robot thing. Rei is also obvious, but then again, she is pretty weird."

"What an ugly paint job…" Ranko muttered, looking at Unit-01.

"I think its kinda cool…" Kima offered.

"That's coz your tastes suck…" Ranko countered. "Seriously… pink bandanna…"

"Shut up Saotome. Pink's great!"

"Anyways," Kensuke's grin widened, ignoring the fact that these two powerful women seemed to be on the verge of kicking the hell out of each other, "I overheard you guys are bored here… so I was wondering if you'd like to hear a little proposal of mine…"

Toji shivered. He didn't seem to like where this one was going.

=-=-=-| Terminal Dogma |-=-=-=

"All systems are green."

"Synch ratio steady at 78 percent…"

"All flows are normal… Harmonics are stable."

Misato nodded. She looked at her screen, seeing the EVA cage rise up from its platform in the almost barren city of Tokyo-3. Shinji was ready to go.

"Release the Final locks!" she ordered.

"Releasing!"

In their screens, Evangelion Unit-01 slumped as its cage opened, letting the large humanoid free from its shackles. It looked up, spotting the Angel approaching him.

"Alright, Shinji, like we practiced," Misato stated.

"I really don't like guns…" Shinji replied back.

"Just do it!" Misato growled, annoyed. She was not having another gun talk with Shinji.

Unit-01 slowly approached one of the buildings which rose up, its side opening up exposing a very large automatic rifle. He used the very same one during training. Without a word, he grabbed it, and aimed it at the Angel. He took a deep breathe, and pulled the trigger.

The bullets hit the Angel, though a smokescreen permeated as each large caliber impacted. It was too fast. Not even Shinji knew if the bullets hit, or if that weird AT-Field stopped it.

"Stop shooting, Shinji!" Misato ordered. She looked towards the many technicians around them. "I need visual confirmation!"

"Nothing… we have to wait for the smoke to clear."

"Damn…" Misato muttered.

"This is why I don't like guns…" Shinji muttered. "I'd… WHOA!"

The Angel appeared from the smoke, charging towards Unit-01 with his whip-like hands. Luckily, Shinji was in high enough ratio to move naturally, dodging the attack as he readied himself another volley. Pulling the trigger, he shot the Angel again, and another smoke screen permeated. The Angel charged once more.

"Oh my… seems this Angel's bullet proof…" Shinji declared. He was right. There were no hexagonal field that stopped the bullets. They all impacted the Angel's body, but to no effect.

"Damn…" Misato shifted.

"Um… if I may… I think I can beat this one if I had a sword…" Shinji offered.

Misato looked at Commander Ikari, who seemed to shake his head.

"Negative," Misato sighed.

"Oh, come on, Misato-chan!"

"Sorry, Shinji… Commander's orders…"

"Then let my 'esteemed commander' fight this one… stupid old man," Shinji muttered the last part in and angry whisper as he dodged a whipping attack from his enemy. He fired another burst, emptying the clip of his gun. "Okay, that's it. Using progressive knife!"

=-=-=-| Tokyo-3, Above Ground |-=-=-=

Just a few paces away from where Unit-01 and the Angel was, Kima, Toji, Ranko and Kensuke sneaked outside the shelter, watching the fight with their own eyes. First thing they saw was Unit-01 was swept from its feet by the Angel's whip-like arms.

They winced.

"What the… he's getting his ass kicked!" Toji declared.

"Hmm…" Ranko's eyes studied the fight, and looked towards the ground. "No good. Shinji can't win this one…"

Kensuke and Toji's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" the spectacled boy asked.

"Ikari's a very good swordsman," Kima added, looking down as well, doing her thinking pose. "He has solid hand-to-hand combat skills, but me and Ranko can basically whoop him every time if it comes to that. His specialty has always been his sword techniques and speed. His sword takes care of his lack of range and strength, while his speed allows him to find openings to exploit with his techniques."

"So… you're basically saying that Shinji's useless without a sword?" Toji asked, joining in on the analytical group.

"Hell no," Ranko replied she looked at him. "He's good enough without it… but to fight this enemy, he needs a sword. This enemy of his is fast enough to dodge his attacks. Smart too, exploiting that robot's shortcomings."

"What shortcomings?"

"Compared to what Shinji's piloting, the whips have at least twice the range of attack compared to the robot's legs or arms," Ranko continued. "Plus it's smart, keeping its distance so Shinji wouldn't exploit his own weakness, which is short-range combat."

"In short… this Angel, or whatever it is, is keeping the whole battle at mid-range distances," Kima finished. "Without a sword, Ikari's fighting a losing battle."

"Uh… guys… I find this interesting and all… but…" Kensuke called.

"What?" Toji looked at his friend. Then his eyes widened, seeing what Kensuke was seeing. "Oh."

"What?" both Nerima-1 girls spoke. They, too, had to say it. "Oh."

While they were going on and discussing about the battle, the battle had come to them. Evangelion was swept off its feet once more, but was able to dodge the incoming energy whips, though only barely. The whip didn't hit Unit-01, but it cut through the Evangelions umbilical chord.

=-=-=-| Terminal Dogma |-=-=-=

"External power has been cut off!" one of the technicians back at NERV declared.

"Power usage of internal batteries indicated. One minute before Unit-01's total shutdown!"

"Damn it!" Misato cursed. "Shinji! Retreat!"

By now, Shinji was pinned down by down by the Angel, its whip-like arms aiming for his head, but he dodged them, leaving imprints on the ground. He knew he had to get out of this predicament, he also knew how, but couldn't, as he noticed something from his peripheral vision.

"Shinji… get out of there!" Misato called, almost shouting at her microphone.

"Can't!" Shinji spoke, each of his words punctuated after every dodge aimed for his head. "People! Here!"

"WHAT?" Misato glared at a few people on their consoles. "Reconnaissance! Now!"

"Yes ma'am!" and there was typing. After a few moments, a few windows opened up on the big display in the Terminal Dogma, displaying Ranko, Kima, Toji and Kensuke underneath the prone Unit-01.

"What the hell are those civilians doing there!?" Misato massaged her head with her hands.

"Kima…? Ranko…?" Shinji stated. He too was getting the video feed.

=-=-=-| Below Unit-01 |-=-=-=

Outside, the two martial artists recognized the situation where Shinji was in.

"Oops… we shouldn't be here," Ranko declared. "Come on, Lost Girl. Let's grab the boys and lets go."

"Don't call me Lost Girl, Saotome!" Kima seethed, though she tossed her umbrella to Ranko who caught it easily. Then, to Toji's and Kensuke's surprise, they were lifted off the ground so easily, and flew as the two martial artists jumped away.

=-=-=-| Terminal Dogma |-=-=-=

"And… they're gone…"

"Forget them for now!" Misato sighed. "Shinji… you're clear! Retreat!" she looked at the the nearest person on the console. "Where's the nearest sector where we can send up another umbilical chord?"

"I don't think he'll be able to reach that part on time," Ritsuko pointed out another screen, indicating how much power Unit-01 has. It was counting down at twenty-seconds.

"I can finish this, Misato-san!" Shinji declared through gritting teeth, getting a few hits on the Angel. "Give me a sword!"

"What?!"

"Trust me!" the boy declared.

Misato looked torn. It was already counting down from eighteen seconds. She took a look at Gendo, who still looked unmoved.

"Gendo…" Fuyutsuki whispered.

"Hn…" Shinji's father muttered. "Fine," and nodded towards Misato.

The woman smiled. "Alright Shinji! We're given the green light!"

"Launch it in the nearest catapult! I'll do the rest!" Shinji declared.

"Do it! NOW!" Misato ordered.

The crew underground scrambled. They had less than fifteen seconds to get a gigantic katana up in the air, but they moved as their lives depended on it (which it did, honestly). Luckily, the armory and the launch pad nearest to unit-01 were close enough, and without any delay, they catapulted the sword up.

At the same time, Shinji, verily much pissed off at this point, curled Unit-01 to a ball, placed both its feet towards the angel's body, and launched it up high in the air. Now free from the weight over him, Unit-01 stood and Shinji waited for any indication where his new weapon would appear…

"Ten seconds!!"

The ground gave way, opening up as a gigantic sword was launched in the air. Shinji jumped at it as the Angel landed on the ground on its back, exposing the red core in its body.

"Nine seconds!!"

It was a beautiful sword, Shinji thought. It was complete with a sheathe, design definitely a katana.

"Eight seconds!!"

Unsheathing it, he noticed the blade was similar to the progressive knife he used, but now, he had the range that it lacked. He smiled as he swiftly began to asses his new weapon, liking its look, its feel and weight…

"Seven seconds!!"

"SHINJI!!" Misato shouted.

The eyes of Unit-01 glowed, and Shinji's synchronization suddenly jumped to a solid 100 percent. He and his EVA shouted simultaneously as they began to descend, their new blade pointing down towards the angel.

"Six!"

The blade impacted a hexagonal field, but it was quickly shattered by the force of the attack as the sword hit the core. The Angel squirmed, hitting Unit-01 with its energy whips in the shoulders, but Shinji ignored the pain, twisting the blade, making more cracks on the Angel's core.

"Five! Four! Three! Two…!"

"DIE!!!" Shinji shouted.

The red core's glow died, and the angel stopped moving as Unit-01's battery life died, leaving a rather powerful still image to anyone who saw it. Unit-01 looked like an armored samurai with an Oni mask, its blade sunk in a fallen enemy.

Terminal Dogma celebrated.

"WOOHOO! We did it!"

"YEAH!!"

"AMAZING!"

Misato sighed, finally relaxing on a chair, beads of sweat permeating from her forehead. It was too close for comfort. Ritsuko gave her a friendly pat on her shoulder, and Misato just looked at her, relieved.

Shinji, still inside the Evangelion, also relaxed, sitting down and leaning on his seat, looking up. He smiled.

"Thank you…" he stated towards his Eva.

=-=-=-| Tokyo-3 Above Ground |-=-=-=

Toji and Kensuke gave themselves a high-five. The last bit of action and the final image was forever seared to their memories, while Kima and Ranko seemed to smile at each other.

"Show-off…" Kima whispered, smiling.

"Heh… that's my little brother," Ranko smirked. Looking at image, on her little Shinji conquering a giant opponent, she couldn't help but feel proud. "You know… this place is interesting. I might wanna stay here for a while."

"Is it this place… or Ikari?" Kima asked.

Ranko rolled her eyes. "Well, duh, it's Shinji. He'll need us too… you heard him earlier. Piloting that thing slows him down. If we're here to keep him sharp... we're Shinji's rivals! I'm his big sister! It's like… I dunno, our responsibility!"

"I get it, Saotome… and you're right," Kima sighed. She looked at Unit-01. "Will he appreciate our presence?"

"Of course!" Ranko declared confidentially. "If he doesn't… I'll just kick his ass until he will!"

"I'm too glad I don't have a sister like you…" the Hibiki woman stated, shaking her head.

**To Be Continued**

_Author's Notes: _

_There was actually a reason why I didn't continue this fic earlier. On the early days of my youth, the first ever fanfics that ever inspired me to write were EVA Lemons. Yes. Teenagers of a wangst series mixing religious and psychology to capture human spirit, boinking around like bunnies on heat. There are many inspirations for this fic, one of them was the first Ranma-EVA fic I had (where Shinji was replaced by Ryouga, who was the son of Gendou… anyone know the title?), Neon Exodus EVA (pretty much the love it or hate it fic in EVA fandom), and my own fascination of Ruroni Kenshin. _

_The main reason why I haven't updated this fic for a while is because I solely lacked continual originality which my mind demanded. First prologue and two chapters of the story were almost pretty much based of the script in the NXE show, and I knew I had to expand it. _

_After a few years of writing, I finally developed my own style. I thought it was the perfect way to continue where I left of. I'm sorry if the feel changed a bit, and if the whole thing seemed less silly now, and I promise I'll work on that if I can. Hopefully, you guys will still enjoy it. _

_Anyways, later people. Thanks for the read, and hope you review. Feedback's always helpful. _


	5. 1:4

"Ugh… what a headache!" Misato declared as she raised her hand to her head. _What the heck happened last night?_ she thought. Last thing she remembered was she, Ritsuko and Kaji mucking around, that was years ago!

Struggling to stand, she threw clothes all over her once more to cover her nakedness. The room was spinning. Opening her door, bright lights invaded her senses, and she was momentarily blinded. Making a beeline to the bathroom, she opened it, only to hear a gasp, and spot a young woman with long red hair, barely covering herself in a towel to hide her… ehem… assets.

Misato blinked.

"Oh, geez, it's just you, Katsuragi-san…" Ranko looked at her, relieved. "Thought Shinji was playing a prank on me."

"Uh…" Misato looked confused. "Who are you again?"

"Ranko Saotome," she smirked slightly. "Wow… maybe drinking two whole bottles of whisky wasn't the way to go, eh?"

"Wait… two bottles… last night…?"

Misato then remembered what happened. Last night was their small celebration of Shinji's second consecutive victory against the Angels. Misato was pretty much happy that she didn't even feel into it when she rounded up Toji, Kensuke, Ranko and Kima for not being in the shelter, and invited them for a get-together when Shinji introduced his adopted big sister-slash-rival and best friend-slash-rival.

Toji and Kensuke got caught along because Ranko had mentioned they were Shinji's new friends from his new school. Shinji didn't confirm her claim, yet Misato just let them join in as well. Weird boys… one openly drooled, while the other was seemingly being taken over by the Spirit of Rei… or at least trying.

"Oh, right, right," Misato nodded, memories flooding back to her. "Uh… where are those two friends of Shinji?"

"They left home… something about parents," Ranko smiled. "Shinji made breakfast. You should go there."

"Um… yeah… yeah…"

Misato left the bathroom, staggering towards the kitchen, when she went from sleepy to awake when she finally got her greedy hands on an ice-cold can of beer.

"YEAH! That's the way to wake up!" Misato declared. Shinji just smiled at her as he handed her plate filled with bacon and scrambled eggs. "Smells great, Shinji-kun!"

Kima narrowed her eyes, whispering about slob women, but didn't say anymore as she began to finish her meal. Ranko appeared, fully dressed in her usual apparel.

"Took your damn time, Saotome!" Kima growled, shoving the last pieces of food in her mouth, but chewing them carefully. "What were you doing, putting on make-up?"

"Ah shuddap," Ranko growled, sitting on the table. "Bathroom's free."

"Yeah, yeah…" Kima muttered, and walked out of the dining hall.

A few moments later, Shinji arrived, about to hand over Ranko's breakfast when he noticed the missing Hibiki.

"Oh my… where'd Kima go?" Shinji asked.

"Bathroom," Ranko shrugged.

"She went alone…?"

"Yeah, it's just… oh… crap," Ranko cursed as she realized her mistake. Standing up, she left the dining area, while Misato looked confused, while Shinji just shook his head.

"What's going on?" the woman asked.

"Well, you see…" Shinji explained to Misato about the Hibiki family curse about tending to get lost easily, only to reappear in various of places mysteriously. Judging by her leery expression, the boy knew his guardian wasn't buying it one bit until Ranko came in once more, shaking her head.

"Lost her."

"Thought so…" Shinji sighed. "Oh well… she'll probably when we need her to… I guess."

**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**

**1:4 – Samurai of Tokyo-3**

A week passed. Tuesday… PE classes for Shinji. The boys and girls were separated, as usual, with the boys having their own choice whether to play basketball, soccer, or track and field. The girls were just enjoying themselves on the pool.

In the pool, one young girl sat quietly, her thoughts muddled somewhat, conflicted and confused. Rei Ayanami could be considered a lot of things. Cold, mysterious, aloof were the few common things that would appear in the minds of any high school students. Most of the male population found her somewhat akin to a doll, while others fantasized something more… well, more.

Cold eyes… neutral expression… cool voice? Those inclined to masochism worshipped the ground she walked on, truly.

However, surprisingly, if you combine all those adjectives, and distill them, the most common word that anyone would describe Rei was her neutrality.

She had average grades, because all her results were always average. She never excelled in anything, nor was she bad at anything. She never talked more than she should. She never acted any more than she could. She never got along with anybody, but she also never antagonized anybody. It was as if she was so sure of her role in the world, and meekly accepted it.

That is why she was confused by the Commander's son.

Confusion… not exactly an emotion she'd feel. Respect, duty, longing… those were emotions she'd feel concerning her job, her role as a pilot and as a pawn in the grand schemes of things. The only person she felt she could really connect to was Gendo Ikari.

He was the one, after all, that burned his hands to open her hatch in the accidentally ejected Entry Plug last time she had tried to synchronize with Unit-00.

However, she felt pulled as well by Gendo's son, who made no attempts to hide his disgust to the Commander. She didn't treat him differently, nor was she hostile. Gendo had specifically ordered her not to engage too frequently around him, but not ordered her to avoid him.

It would have been so much easier if he didn't approach her. However, he did. Always. Everyday during lunch, he gave her an extra bento-box. She'd eat them, and they were very well prepared (all vegetarian, seemingly he learned from the fact that she hadn't eaten any of the meat that was included), and she in turn would return the boxes to him, where he'd just say 'You are welcome' without even a word from her, and leave her alone.

Truly odd.

"Wow… look at that!" one of the girls near her declared. On her hands were prints of Unit-01's battle with Shamshel, the Fourth Angel.

"Whooa! Ikari-kun looks so badass riding that thing!"

"Hehe… the Tokyo-3 samurai!"

There were a few giggles. Rei ignored them.

In the Track and Field, Toji, Kensuke and Shinji were jogging slightly, mostly talking amongst themselves.

"Tokyo-3 Samurai! Hah! The name caught on fast!" Kensuke smiled. He was the primary leak of NERV, having sold many pictures of Shinji's last battle for quite a hefty sum. A lot of the girls, and some guys were interested in knowing what their Nerima-1 transferee did when fighting those Angels.

Toji just sighed. "You know… if NERV gets serious, you're gonna get locked up for this…"

"Heh… they won't be able to connect it to me anyway," the spectacled boy smirked slightly. "Besides… I'm more worried about you dude. We were like totally in babe-territory!" Kensuke declared while thinking of the party. "And you were a frigging mime!"

"Oh shut it, Kensuke. You've been riding my ass about that for a week already! I just… don't know… don't feel too comfortable around Ranko and Kima… no offense, Shinji," Toji quickly looked at the boy running beside him.

"Oh my… is it because they are savage brutes?" Shinji asked serenely, though his words seemed to have hit Toji hard.

"Ye… No! I mean… well…" Toji pointed towards a part in the soccer field where the boy's avoided. There was a large indentation where Kima's umbrella hit. "… they honestly scare me…"

"Oh, don't feel like that!"

Toji suddenly screamed in surprise, earning a surprise look from everyone around them. Kensuke wanted to scream too, but was prevented when he took a misstep, and face-planted to the ground, because suddenly appearing right behind them was Ranko, who seemed to be jogging along.

"How… how long were you listening!?" Toji gasped, clutching his chest, trying to slow his breathing rate.

"When Shinji called us savage brutes," Ranko growled, and slapped Shinji from behind so strongly that he to fell into a heap, sliding on the ground towards Toji, face-up. The amazing thing was Shinji kept his composed expression.

"Oh my. Don't mind Ranko. She's usually very kind, she's just a violent maniac," Shinji declared serenely.

"You hang around mom too much!" Ranko growled, pouting slightly. "That was what she said to dad when he and Auntie Akane were betrothed."

"Never mess with the classics," Shinji sat up, smiling. "Besides… the similarities parallel."

"Wha…! You…! Alright, that's it! I'm kicking your ass, little bro!" Ranko went to a fighting position.

Kensuke and Toji scrambled away from the danger zone, but sat down a few paces away as they watched Shinji also in a fighting stance, his hand gripping his sword. The two charged at each, sparring at what seemed to be unnatural speeds that the girls who weren't swimming and the guys that were just going around watched the little fight.

"Heh… there they go again."

"Sibling rivalry, eh?"

"I heard Ikari-kun say this was pretty much normal in Nerima-1."

"Wow… look at Ranko's bootacious body…"

"Man… what I'd give for her to remove those cycling shorts…"

Kensuke chuckled slightly. "Ya know what, Toji, my man?"

"What?" Toji asked.

"This makes me wish I lived in Nerima-1 too…"

Toji looked at his friend like he was insane. "Your funeral."

=-=-=-| Area of Shamshel's Fall |-=-=-=

"You're kidding right?" Ritsuko looked at her friend Misato.

"No, honest to goodness," the woman sighed. "I thought Shinji was pulling my leg, and that adopted sister of his was in on it, but I checked… that Hibiki kid just upped and vanished. Her backpack was still there, along with the umbrella, but seriously… she just left to the bathroom, which was just across the hall. The main front door was locked in a deadbolt, and nobody touched that!"

"You're saying that this Hibiki kid has a family curse, which tends to make her easily lost, but not only that, but she can pull a Houdini act and disappear and re-appear whenever she is needed?"

"That's what they say," Misato replied, shrugging.

"You're kidding then," Ritsuko shook her head. "Family curse? Disappearing and reappearing elsewhere? You got hoodwinked by a bunch of kids, Misato. They're probably laughing at you now."

"Laughing at what?" Shinji suddenly asked, appearing behind them, surprising both women.

"Don't sneak up on us like that!!" both women screamed, clutching their chest.

"Sheesh…" Misato was the first one to relax. "Refreshed already?"

"Yeah… instant tea is… um, not up to par, but it will do," Shinji declared, raising his cup. "So, um, Misato-san, Ritsuko-san, what's up? Why am I here?"

The floor stage was filled with bits and pieces of the last Angel he had fought. There were many workers, technicians, engineers, soldiers, each studying the different body parts. Because of Shinji's actions, he was able to kill an Angel relatively whole, much to Ritsuko's surprise and immense satisfaction.

The scientist had been wanting to take a crack a look at the enemies they were facing. Other than the core, almost everything else was in good condition, a perfect sample.

"I've been analyzing the components of the Angel, trying to reverse engineer their technology, but every time I tried, this code would always come up…"

The computer screen flickered a three-digit number: _**6 0 1**_

"What does that mean?" Misato asked.

"Basically… unidentifiable. Cannot be analyzed, or classified," Ritsuko replied.

"Oh my… so miss big shot scientist has no idea what this thing is?" Shinji asked, smiling neutrally. Ritsuko turned her head slightly, glaring at the Third Child.

"Not really…" the doctor replied, dead-panned.

"Shinji, stop teasing Ritsuko," Misato tried to copy Shinji's expression and tone. She almost got it, the boy had to admit… if it wasn't for her twitch mark on her forehead, and the threatening fist, she really could have.

"Okay… I'll just let her talk."

"Yes… thanks," Ritsuko glared at the boy one more time before typing once more in her console. "Actually, there was something of interest. I found the Angel being composed of matter characterized by both particulate and wave properties."

"Huh?" Misato asked.

"Like light…" Ritsuko sighed.

"Oh…" Misato didn't understand, but she didn't say anything anymore. "But you at least found out something right? Like its power source?"

"Yeah, we did find something like that, but we haven't figured out how it operates at all…"

"And another tumbleweed passes by…" Shinji whispered a sigh as he took another sip of his cup of tea.

"Do you have anything to say, Mister Ikari?" Ritsuko glared when the boy dared speak again.

"Nope… just… well, enjoying my cup of tea…" Shinji replied, innocent-looking.

"Yeah… well… I think you might find this interesting, Misato," Ritsuko ignored Shinji and typed on her console again. "This is the Angel's inherent and wave form pattern…"

The screen showed colored coding, again, something Shinji had no interest at all. Even Misato looked confused.

"What about it?"

The screen flipped once more, and Misato looked closer. She took an overview, and blinked, realizing what Ritsuko just showed her.

"It can't be!"

"What?" Shinji asked.

"The Angel's genetic code… although composed of different matter, is 99.89 percent similar to human beings," Ritsuko nodded. "This shows how much limited our knowledge still is when…"

And Shinji veered off. He had only accompanied Misato once because she had thought it would be poor sport to leave her to Ritsuko, who apparently loved to talk all technical so much, Shinji believed his ears were about to fall off. Instead, his attention was towards his father, who he saw just past, walking towards a group who were now lowering the Angel's core from a crane.

He noticed his old man's hands were burned by the discoloration.

"Huh… burn marks eh? Which lovely woman did my old man piss off this time?" Shinji whispered out loudly. "Or maybe didn't wear a mitten when handling a cooking pan?"

"Oh… that…" Ritsuko remembered. "It was before you joined us. Unit-00 went Berserk during the activation trials."

"Oh… my…" Shinji quieted down.

"The Pilot was trapped inside the Entry Plug…" Ritsuko smiled slightly, though not with malice. "I think you know her."

"Ayanami-san," Shinji nodded.

"Yup. Your father was the one who rescued her," Ritsuko's smile began to become a bit more malicious, not that Shinji noticed or minded. "He opened the super-heated hatch with his bare hands."

_Yes… you little brat! _Ritsuko thought darkly. _Your father thinks Rei is of higher value than you… _

"I don't believe it…" Shinji explained, his face now in shock.

_Do believe it. Your father likes an apparent stranger more than you… _

"… is that Kima?" Shinji suddenly declared.

"Wha…!?" both Misato and Ritsuko turned, only to see that Shinji was right. Kima Hibiki seemed to have appeared.

"Where the hell did she come from!?" Ritsuko half-shouted. "This is a restricted area!"

"Um, excuse me!" Kima waved at one of the technicians. "Is this Tokyo-3?"

=-=-=-| NERV HQ |-=-=-=

Shinji had been looking at Rei when he was doing a preliminary harmonics test with Unit-01 with much more interest than he had anticipated. Kima had been a very good distraction earlier (and with a simple call from Ranko, the two rivals left together) but Ritsuko's account on his old man was interesting to say the least.

Shinji had a very specific description of his father, which his late Uncle Onno and Uncle Ranma seemed to agree on… he was a bastard. A complete bastard. Abandoning his only son, not even caring enough to visit or even call… heck, he was probably surprised to hear that the Saotome Clan had brought them in. Uncle Ranma probably gave his old man some hell there.

Gendo Ikari was the only man Shinji let down his mask to. The persona he puts forward, either mimicking his favorite auntie Kasumi, or taking bits of arrogance and boyish innocence from his uncle Ranma, or even the teasing his big sister usually used… those were just masks and personas he would wear because it made easier to deal with people.

Shinji wasn't a totally happy-go-lucky person as Misato or others would think. Not totally anyway.

He enjoyed life, true. He enjoyed making friends as well. He loved battling, sparring with his sister, Ranko, or his close friend Kima who were there for him for the many years (well, until Kima gets lost), but that was not all it was to.

Like the Yin and Yang… there were two sides of every coin. He was no different.

Not a lot would say he was vindictive, critical, or smart, but he was, especially when he needed to be. He was still bitter that his father had abandoned him. He was angry that his father called him back with just one word. Couldn't he have written at least a sentence? Or at least just said sorry? Then, after coming here, he was forced to pilot the EVA without any prior training, using Rei as an emotional blackmail.

Needless to say, he really hated his father.

However, news that he may actually care for Rei had interested him. He was probably half-jealous, half-curious about the whole thing. Of course, it could have just been his imagination, yet, there it was. Plain to his face, where Unit-00 was docked, Rei and his father were talking. She put on the most animated expression he had ever seen on her so far, and he looked like a father when he was talking to her.

Shinji didn't like it one bit. He looked above, smiling slightly, and sighed.

"I'm sure it's probably nothing… indecent… yeah?"

Outside, Unit-01's eyes glowed slightly.

=-=-=-| Misato's Apartment |-=-=-=

Ritsuko said nothing when she took the first bite of her food. It was that good.

"I thought you were kidding when you said the kid's some sort of cooking genius," Ritsuko asked Misato, who was greedily gulping from her rice bowl.

"Hah! Bet you're embarrassed," Misato whispered back. "Ever since that stupid paint job comment, you've been trying to dig in insults at him, and it bothers you that it doesn't affect him much… but when he starts going at you, you get berserk."

"Like you're better!" Ritsuko seethed. "All the hentai comments… you'd think you were an actual hentai!"

"Hey! You were the one who was so ready to shove him in that god-awful part of town!"

"I was always curious to why you wanted Shinji in your apartment," Ritsuko seethed. "Now I see why. Perfect guy for you, isn't he? He cleans, he cooks… what would have we been eating today if you cooked? Instant Ramen cups dipped in curry!?"

"Those are good!"

While the two high-school friends began to bicker, Kima, Ranko and Shinji huddled together, eating in relative peace, watching the spectacle in front of them.

"Their voices are getting louder…" Kima noticed.

"Oh my… I didn't know they liked me teasing them like that…" Shinji went all smiles. "I must put more effort behind them."

Ranko just laughed.

"By the way…" Ritsuko and Misato suddenly stopped arguing as the blonde looked at Kima and Ranko. "Are you guys actually staying here?"

"Yup," Shinji nodded. "I told Misato-san that Ranko and Kima wanted to stay here for a while so they sleep in my room with me."

Ritsuko spat out the tea she was drinking. "What!?" she looked at Misato. "Don't you have another room?"

"It's filthy, and small," Ranko replied for Misato. "Besides, we don't do anything. Shinji's my little bro. Kima's not interested in anything but fighting. Her brain's hardwired to it"

"Hey!" Kima complained. "Fighting isn't the only thing in my head! I just… haven't found a decent guy yet."

"I'm not a decent guy?" Shinji asked, her eyes forming tears.

"Hah! I got used to your Corcodile Tears Attack years ago, Ikari!" Kima smirked. "You're not my type. Besides… Ranko's gonna go all protective of you if I tried…"

"Hey! You make it sound like I have some sort of complex!"

"What gave you that idea?" the Hibiki girl replied easily. "It's true though."

While Kima had whispered the last part, Ritsuko and Misato heard it. Both looked at each other, and just shrugged.

"Well, if they are doing anything, they keep it quiet," Misato declared.

"It's like a harem or something, I swear," Ritsuko sighed.

"Only a closet hentai would think that…" Shinji whispered rather blankly, but Ritsuko still heard that, glaring at the boy, wanting to destroy him utterly with her stare.

"Ah, what the heck," Ritsuko muttered, and relaxed. _The food is good. The food is good. Just concentrate on the food_, she thought. After a few moments, after she had finished her bowl of rice, and asked for more, she felt something in her pockets. "Oh yeah!"

The faux blonde then grabbed out an ID card with Rei's photo on it.

"Forgot to give this to her," Ritsuko whispered blankly, though it was loud enough for the others to hear.

"What's that?" Misato asked.

"Rei's new Security Card," Ritsuko stated. She looked at Shinji. "Think you can give it to her tomorrow, before going back to NERV headquarters?"

"No problem," Shinji looked at the picture. Once again, she was showing no outward emotion.

Misato and Ritsuko looked at each. This was prime material for a little Shinji-teasing.

"Shinji… are you staring at Rei's picture?" Misato began, her voice teasing.

"Hmmm?" Shinji looked at her, his face still neutral, putting her off slightly. "Kinda."

"Kinda…?" Misato tried to keep the teasing tone, but it seems the boy wasn't taking the bait. "What were you looking at?"

Ranko then came behind Shinji, looked at Rei's photo as well, and gave Shinji the thumb's-up.

"Big sister approves! When you take her, let me watch."

Ritsuko and Misato spat out their drinks (tea and beer respectively).

"Wait… WHAT!?" Misato shouted.

"Yes, dear big sister!" Shinji replied to Ranko. "I shall create very happy memories for her!"

Ritsuko was about to comment on its indecency (in more ways than one), when she spotted Shinji and Ranko huddled together, covering their wide grins with open palms, giggling and chuckling.

"I know why you like teasing them, little bro…" Ranko said in between her giggles. "A little more prodding, we could get them so ballistic…"

Misato paused, her anger replaced with confusion, then anger once more as her cheeks flushed. Kima then sighed, feeling somewhat sorry for the two women, and gave them the most helpful pieces of advice they'd need.

"You shouldn't try teasing Shinji when Ranko's around… they tend to gang up on you…"

"Thanks…" Ritsuko replied dryly.

=-=-=-| Dilapidated Area of Tokyo-3 |-=-=-=

Shinji looked at the Security Card that Ritsuko had given him, and checked if the address was correct. He even checked the name-tag under the apartment number to be double-sure.

True enough, both the Card and the tag indicated that this is where Rei Ayanami lived, which confused the heck out of him.

"Thought she was close to the old man?" Shinji whispered slightly. "Why does she live in this part of town?"

Buildings after buildings, like stack of dominos, spread throughout the area. Far away, it looked like a decent place, but on closer inspection, Shinji knew it was not so. The area was so near a construction area, so mechanical noise rang throughout the halls. The buildings themselves looked abandoned, filled with dust, dirt, litter and grime.

Shinji's nightmare, if he was honest.

"Hello?" the boy asked out loud. "Rei? It's me, Shinji! Ritsuko-san wanted me to give you something!"

He knocked on the door, and called once more. No answer. Out of random, he went for the door knob and tried it, only to be surprised to see he could turn it, and the door was unlocked. He entered.

"Oh my…" Shinji muttered as he entered. _Oh kamis… what a… mess! Letters everywhere! Newspaper articles! _And he slid a finger along the walls, and got a very good amount of dirt. _This is worse than Misato-san! _

Moreover, that was just the entrance hall. Imagine his reaction when he entered the living area.

_Can anyone actually live here? _Shinji's eyes widened, horrified. The windows were blocked by curtains, that only let minimal light in. There was a bed, messed up, the pillow with specks of blood, underwear hanging overhead. There was a fridge in the corner of the room, a box filled with bloody bandages, on the side of the fridge was a plastic bag filled with garbage, and on top of the fridge were medical supplies.

"Horrible! Horrible!" Shinji wailed, almost on his knees. The staleness of the room… the dirt…! His eyes all went murderous. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu – Kasumi Technique!"

Rei in the bathroom blinked as she felt some sort of energy wave suddenly appearing near her. It wasn't Angel by nature, so she ignored it, but the fact that it was so near was something that she had observe.

Walking out of the bathroom, she was suddenly surprised when her foot slid across, as if her floor had been waxed. Regaining her balance, she noticed that she had been apparently kidnapped, or spirited away because this was in no way her apartment.

The floors were shiny, even in the dark. The walls were now whiter than before. Her plastic with garbage and box of bloodied bandages were gone. Her bed was made, the pillow-case seemed new.

She then noticed Shinji in her apartment, seemingly wearing an apron, holding a feather duster with one hand, and his other arm holding a plastic bag filled with litter. He was humming as he began to dust her study desk, stopping only when he noticed a pair of cracked pair of glasses.

Rei's heart felt like stopping when Shinji, with his oblivious expression, suddenly grabbed the pair of glasses, and was about throw them inside his plastic, when she suddenly dashed towards him.

"Oh… Ayanami-san," Shinji turned, feeling some movement behind him. "What's u… ooof!!"

Rei slammed into Shinji headfirst. She ran towards him, hoping to save her treasure, when she just slid towards him at break-neck speed, and slammed into him, forgetting the whole place was waxed. Driven on top of the boy, her eyes went towards Shinji's hands, and grabbed the glasses, looking at them gingerly. It was the old pair Commander Ikari had worn before he saved her life.

Silently relieved that her treasure hadn't been additionally damaged, she looked at Shinji, about to ask why he was here, when she noticed he seemed to have been knocked unconscious.

"Oro… oro…" was all he could say, his eyes swirling around.

=-=-=-| Subway to NERV |-=-=-=

"I see…" Rei replied.

Shinji laughed nervously. They were on their way to NERV, and after their little accident earlier, the boy regained consciousness when she had, thankfully, dressed up. It was akward, to say the least, and Shinji thought Rei had been mad at him.

Then, when they finally gotten to their seat in the subway downwards towards Geofront, Rei asked him the reason why he visited her, and he explained how he was only wanting to give her the new Security Card, but her apartment held too much power that Shinji just had to clean up.

"Again, I'm sorry, Ayanami-san," Shinji bowed slightly.

"I don't mind…" Rei said monotonously.

Then there was silence once more.

Getting off the car, they were greeted by large metal doors, and then big halls filled with escalators. It was then Shinji asked a question.

"Those glasses… they must be pretty important to you eh?"

Rei stole a glance at the boy behind her, and looked forward as they descended to NERV. "They were Commander Ikari's…"

"Ah, the old man's… you treasure them, huh?" Shinji said in a slightly disbelieving tone.

Rei ignored the question, and continued to look forward.

"I guess you must like him, then…" Shinji said, his voice now turning neutral.

"I…" Rei seemed to pause, looking for the right word, "… trust him. Don't you?"

"No," Shinji replied quickly, honestly, and a bit angrily.

Rei turned to him, looking at him for a moment. Her arm suddenly lashed out, and was about to slap Shinji when it was stopped. The girl's eyes didn't waver, her eyes showing a bit of more emotion than usual as her hand held his, just a few inches from his face. Shinji's eyes narrowed, serious as they continued to descend.

"I can understand why you think you can trust him," Shinji declared in a very neutral voice, letting go Rei's hand. "However, I wish you'd at least understand my view as well, before 'voicing' your displeasure." Then he smiled. "You are going to be busy, Ayanami-san. I suggest you stay focused. Isn't today your reactivation with that yellow mustard filled sandwich?"

Rei blinked. The what now?

=-=-=-| Unit-00 Reactivation Control Room |-=-=-=

Everyone was bustling, most of them in their consoles, typing, checking, rechecking, and calibrating everything. One by one, each of them gave the thumbs-up sign, indicating the whole thing was a go.

"Rei…" Gendo spoke. "Can you hear me?"

Inside Unit-00, Rei nodded. "Yes."

"We will now begin the Unit-00 Reactivation Experiment," Gendo declared. He shifted his new orange glasses. "Initiate primary connections."

"Connecting main power supply…"

"Activation… past critical point."

"Roger… shifting format to phase two."

"Connecting pilot of Unit-00…"

"Opening circuits."

Outside the control bridge, on the left of Unit-00, Misato and Shinji await the results.

"Pulse and harmonics are normal…"

"No problems detected… synchronization is normal."

"All nerve links completed. Central nerve elements are nominal."

"Correcting slight deviation errors."

"Approaching critical mark… two-point-five more… one-point-seven… one-point-two… one-point-zero… zero-point-eight… zero-point-five… zero-point-four, zero-point-three, zero-point-two, zero-point-one… and rising. Borderline clear."

The control bridge sighed with relief, some happy as the announcement was made.

"Unit-00 has been reactivated."

"Roger…" Rei replied neutrally.

Fuyutsuki smiled somewhat. Better than last time, he supposed, when he suddenly heard the phone on the nearest console ring. He answered it.

"Beginning inter-lock test…"

Gendo nodded, and was about to give the order when Fuyutsuki hung up the phone, and looked at him.

"Ikari… there's an unidentified object rapidly approaching NERV Central," Fuyutsuki stated. "It could be the Fifth Angel."

"Abort the test," Gendo declared, straightening up. "Place all operations on first-stage alert."

=-=-=-| Briefing Room |-=-=-=

"Here's what the spy satellites, the UN and JSSDF have to give us," Misato declared as a holographic screen appeared behind her, showing the Angel. It looked like two pyramids glued together from their bases.

"Uh… huh…" Shinji looked slightly disappointed. "We can rule out close-combat specialist I guess."

Misato smiled at that. The disappointment in his voice was apparent. "Anyways… you know what to do, right?"

"Yup…"

Quickly, Shinji exited the briefing room, going for the Unit-01 dock. He waved at the few technicians there, who waved back at him jovially, and proceeded to the locker room. He quickly dressed up in his plug suit, and clipped those… whatever they were on his hair. Exiting, he greeted a few more people before he rode the elevator to the platform that will put him in the Entry Plug.

In the Terminal Dogma, Misato and all the crew prepared themselves for another battle.

"Releasing primary lock-bolts…"

"Primary lock-bolts released," Shinji repeated.

"Roger. Removing secondary restraints…"

Shinji looked at the holographic images, spotting Rei looking at him from below, still in her plug-suit.

"Synch rate solid at 81 percent."

"Unit-01 ready for launch."

Misato nodded, and shouted her command.

"LAUNCH!!"

Shinji bristled as he felt himself jarred by the G-Force. Normally, he'd be enjoying the ride, but for some reason felt a cold chill run down his spine, as if there was something wrong.

"High Energy build-up inside the target!" Aoba, one of the technicians with shoulder-length hair, suddenly declared.

"What?" Misato stepped back, looking at the man who spoke.

"The energy charge is accelerating…"

"It can't be!" Ritsuko knew what was coming up.

The Evangelion Unit-01 came up from the ground, still locked on the launch frame, helpless as the Angel suddenly shot a small but concentrated burst of energy towards it. It quickly devastated a building, and hit directly into Unit-01's chest.

Shinji screamed as the LCL bubbled, the temperature rising, plus the phantom pain that his EVA was receiving. He couldn't read the warning notes that appeared in front of him, just wanting the pain to stop.

And it did, when he thankfully blacked out.

**To Be Continued… **

_Author's Notes: _

_I'm setting up divergences after we get the complete set of the Children One to Three. I've been getting interested in EVA, but I may not update as fast as this anymore. Atelier Uzumaki needs an update as well. *sigh* Wish someone could teach me a cloning technique. How many chapters could I put out in a month, I wonder… haha. _

_Anyways, this chapter delves into more seriousness, like Shinji's character. I know someone commented on the similarities between canon-Shinji and this one, but while part of it is true, there are more differences between them. Next chapter, I'm going to start expanding Shinji's past a bit. I'm gonna have fun exploring that when I get to it. _

_Anyways, later guys! Read and review as usual, and thanks. _


	6. 1:5

"Beg…" she declared, her lusting eyes going towards Shinji, who was frozen in fear and indecision.

Behind her, a burning house, highlighting her predatory aura, her beautiful figure draped in tight black clothes. In one arm, she held a young girl of Shinji's age, her pale face scared out of her wits. In the other arm, the woman held a dagger that glistened in the light.

"Why are you doing this?" Shinji asked, crying slightly, feeling helpless.

"Why?" the woman giggled slightly. "Because I want you boy. Ever since that day where I killed your pathetic uncle… ever since those damn Saotomes adopted you… I have been watching you for some time. You're growing up to be right for the picking… and you dare try to share yourself to someone else!?"

"Leave Yuki out of this!" Shinji felt the hilt of his practice katana that his auntie Kasumi had given him. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"I will… if you beg," the woman grinned. "Drop that pathetic weapon! Come here… go to your knees. Bow your head. Kiss my feet. Swear yourself to me. Beg for her life. Beg for my mercy."

Shinji did as he was told. Dropping his weapon, he approached her, shaking with every step. For a moment, he was tempted to get the drop on her… but she was the strongest ninja of Kanzaki Zaibatsu. His uncle Ranma and Auntie Kasumi were nowhere to be found, and he was alone in this. Plus… he'd never risk Yuki.

So he bowed. On his knees, he bowed and kissed her sandaled foot. Humiliation, he would endure, as long as she was kept from harm.

"I… am yours… for whatever you please," he stated with a shiver. "Please… spare her. Have… mercy."

The woman seemed to sneer as she watched him do all that. She could only say one thing…

"Boring."

And then… she stabbed Yuki in front of Shinji's horrified face. She laughed at his face, enjoying the horror of his eyes, the hurt, the betrayal. She seemed to feed off on his negative emotion.

That's when Shinji woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling.

**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**

**1:5 – Masks**

=-=-=-| NERV Medical Quarters |-=-=-=

In a hospital room, Shinji laid in the bed unconscious. It had been an hour almost since the disastrous skirmish, and outside the room, Ritsuko and Misato both looked worse for wear.

"Damn it…" the purple-haired woman declared, slamming her fist on the wall. "I should have called him back earlier. Aoba warned us already. I'm useless!"

"Calm down," Ritsuko sighed. "It came too fast. No one could have done anything. We're lucky we escaped with as much as we did."

"Ritsuko… he was pinned down, while the Angel took a free shot at him!" Misato half-shouted. "What kind of Chief Operations Officer am I if I allow my soldiers and my care go in combat as recklessly as that!?"

"We were all unprepared… no one blames you," Ritsuko explained.

"I wish someone did… I put Shinji in a bullet's path."

Ritsuko sighed. Misato was a wreck, and NERV itself seemed to be affected. Unit-01 was forced back down, saving the pilot from certain death, suffering a few degree burns because of the boiling LCL.

Surprisingly, the boy was healing faster than she had anticipated. His body somehow seemed to have some sort of enhanced healing abilities… the only thing that seemed to be responsible was Shinji's metabolism, which somehow quickly sped up, spending a lot of energy.

Quite interesting, really, Ritsuko thought.

The Angel had continued its flight path, undisturbed, positioning itself on top of NERV Central. At the bottom of its body, a long drill emerged, and began to burrow down. It was estimated that it would breach NERV after ten hours or so, if continued unimpeded. That gave them enough time to plan a counter-offensive.

"Misato, snap out of it," Ritsuko now growled as she realized Misato had continued ranting when the faux-blonde was deep in her thoughts. "It wasn't your fault. We had nothing to base judgment on. Besides… Shinji's a pilot. A soldier."

"He's fourteen!" Misato growled, looking at Ritsuko. "Pilot or not… soldier or not, he's too young. Yeah, he knows how to handle that sword of his, but forgive me if I feel bad for almost getting a fourteen year old kid killed!"

Ritsuko was about to argue when she suddenly heard an alarm. Misato looked up, confused a bit. It wasn't the Angel-Alarm, but the faux-blonde immediately recognized it, and felt a shiver touch her spine.

"Impossible!" Ritsuko immediately opened the door in Shinji's room, and noticed the bed was empty, the heart monitor flat-lining, with the window open. "Damn it! Call Section-2! Third Child has escaped!"

"Damn it… of all the time…!" Misato growled, but didn't finish her sentence. She and Ritsuko exited the room.

Had they looked up, they would have seen Shinji clinging on the ceiling, sighing, somewhat relieved that the little Saotome Anything Goes technique worked like a charm. Jumping down, he bowed towards the door.

"Sorry… Hentai-san… Closet Hentai-san…" Shinji murmured.

=-=-=-| NERV Bridge |-=-=-=

Misato sighed. It had been already an hour or so, yet no word from Section-2… a bunch of bumbling morons, she wanted to scream. How hard was it to find a boy in a hospital gown, really?

And that Ritsuko… she wouldn't even let him worry about Shinji correctly, telling her to get her ass on the bridge and gather more info about the Angel. Dark thoughts appeared on her head, wondering if Ritsuko was the one that actually had Shinji, and she had him tied to a private corner of NERV, doing… things… to him.

Things she wanted to do… or at least what her dreams of her wanted to… like whipping him, disciplining him…

Blushing a bit, Misato slapped both her cheeks with both hands. It was silly. Ritsuko had a somewhat unhealthy dislike for Shinji. It was explainable… the boy does nothing but annoy her. He annoyed Misato too, but at least she knew that he just teases her about it. Ritsuko takes the whole closet-hentai comment a wee bit too seriously.

But then again, dreaming about whipping a helpless, tied fourteen year old does count as a perverted act. Maybe she should be nicer to him. Whip cream might work…

Misato slapped herself in the face with both hands once more.

A spectacled man with short black hair, Makoto Hyuga, one of the computer technicians of NERV, looked at her with surprise. He then looked at Shigeru Aoba, and the two men shrugged.

"Um… ma'am," Makoto called.

"Yes?" Misato snapped up, looking at the man.

"We're ready."

"Good," Misato sighed. She cleared her thoughts… it was time for her job. "Launch the decoy!"

One of the few things Misato had thought of when trying to find a crack in this new Angel's armor was to see how effective the Angel's weapon was. It was powerful enough to take down a building and almost shoot through an Evangelion's armor, so it was obviously the first thing they needed to study.

To do so, Misato decided to send decoy's, large balloons with Unit-1's shape and color in different parts of the city.

"Decoy in block 125 sent up… destroyed!"

"Decoy in block 254 sent up… also destroyed!"

"Damn…" Misato whispered, watching the screen. The angel automatically attacked every single decoy, destroying it in a single blast without a miss. "Prepare more decoys! Spread them farther!"

"Yes ma'am!" Makoto declared immediately and began typing.

It was going to be a long day, Misato knew it. What's worse, one of their pilots have gone MIA.

=-=-=- | Somewhere… |-=-=-=

Shinji sneezed, then mentally cursed, as he heard Maya Ibuki gasp. He was currently located in a hallway empty save for himself and Maya. The technician looked around, wondering where the noise came from, and began to shiver.

"He-hello…? Aoba? Hyuga?" she asked. Her mousey expression turned to pure abject horror, as if she was waiting for a shoe to drop. She then began to whisper… "There are no ghosts… there are no ghosts…"

Shinji sighed silently. Maya was blocking his exit. Gingerly, he knocked on the metallic wall, making the sound bounce around.

"YEEP!" she shouted, and ran for it.

Shinji dropped the Umisenken that hid him from view temporarily, bowing where Maya made her exit. "Sorry… Maya-san."

=-=-=- | Commander's Room |-=-=-=

Gendo Ikari sat at his throne, his fingers interlaced between each other as he palced both his hands just above the bridge of his nose, hiding half of his face, and more importantly, half his expression. Beside him, his sub-Commander, Kozo Fuyutsuki, looking towards Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi, both looking somewhat stiff and formal.

"What do you have for me?" Gendo asked neutrally.

"From the decoy balloons we have launched up, we are sure that the Angel attacks anything in a certain range automatically," Misato stated. "Knowing that, we launched a pre-emptive strike towards it using a Type-12 Cannon outside that range. Its AT-Field was powerful enough to deflect the attack, and immediately counter-attacked, destroying the cannon. We have concluded that using inductive cannons or bombings are a waste as well."

"We have begun replacing the chest-plate of Unit-01," Ritsuko began after Misato said her piece. "Thankfully, we were able to retrieve Unit-01 before the attack penetrated its central control unit. Unit-00 is running well, except for some feedback errors, so it can't be of any use in actual combat."

"Unit-00?" Gendo shifted slightly, straightening up.

"Yes sir," Misato took a deep breathe. "I am proposing a long-range direct fire from the Target's outside range."

"Oh?"

"Yes. There is no other way except to break through a single point with a high energy condenser if we do not neutralize the AT-Field," the woman declared. "Unit-01 will take the shot with Unit-00 as its support."

"What did the Magi say about this?"

"Magi's answer is: two affirmative, with one conditional affirmative," Ritsuko replied. "They conclude the chance of winning is 8.7 percent."

"That is our highest value," Misato interjected.

"What about the Third Child?" Gendo asked. The two women shifted rather uncomfortably.

"Section-2 is still searching," Misato sighed. "No word yet. I shall personally uphold discipline on the Pilot's abandonment once he is found, sir!"

There was a slight pause, before Gendou seemed to nod. "Fine. I see no reason to reject the plan, Captain. Carry on."

"Yes, sir," Misato saluted, before turning around and walked out of the office. Ritsuko followed suit. When they were far enough from the office, Misato seemed to wipe her forehead with her right hand. "Whew… you know, he always makes me nervous."

"Heh," Ritsuko smirked slightly. "He does have a certain presence."

"Makes me wonder where Shinji takes after," Misato muttered, remembering his easy-going attitude.

"Yeah…" Ritsuko paused. "You know, Misato… I never really told you this… but your plan's a bit absurd."

Not as absurd as Maya claiming there was a ghost in the hallway. Ritsuko sighed, wondering what spooked her assistant that much.

"Haha, yeah, it kinda is, isn't it?" Misato scratched the back part of her head. "Still… we have nine hours or so to make it work."

"How are you going to penetrate the Angel's Field though?" Ritsuko asked. "It'll take a huge amount of energy, and I doubt our positron rifle can withstand such amount."

"Don't be silly, Ritsuko," Misato gave a teasing smile towards her friend. "I know that. Hence, I'm burrowing someone else's."

"Someone… else's…?" Ritsuko paused. Her eyes then widened with realization.

=-=-=-| SSDF Lab |-=-=-=

Misato smiled somewhat as she showed the documents towards the Commanding Officer of the lab. She loved this part of the job… the ability to order grown men around with impunity.

"For special reasons, NERV has the right to acquire this automatic positron rifle as of now," she declared.

Of course, the CO wouldn't go down with a fight.

"Um, Captain, this is a bit sudden…"

"Don't worry. We'll try to return it in its original condition. Thank you for your cooperation," Misato cut him off. She quickly went for her radio, and spoke to it, "Rei, take it out."

Wondering how they were supposed to take the huge positron rifle out, the scientist and the CO didn't expect an EVA suddenly lift the roof off their heads (literally!).

"It is delicate, so be careful," Misato continued.

"This is insane!" one of the scientists whispered.

"It's NERV. What do you expect?" the CO scoffed slightly. "Next thing you know, they'll feed the rifle with the energy from all of Japan."

=-=-=-| Misato's Apartment |-=-=-=

The doorbell rang. Ranko looked up from the TV, wondering who it was… the everything was a media black-out due to the Angel attack, but at least the afternoon anime shows were still on. Baki the Grappler, Fist of the North Star, and even that new ninja show with the blonde ninja… what was that anime again? Fish Cake? Well, at least they were on. She wouldn't have survived with Misato's blu-ray collection alone. All Romance Comedy…

Where the hell did she hide her martial arts flicks? Ranko sighed. The woman's a frigging soldier. She at least needs some of those!

Opening the door, she was surprised to see Shinji in a hospital gown.

"Hey… big sis…" he greeted.

"A bit too early to be streaking, isn't it?" Ranko grinned.

"Yeah… it was…" Shinji replied, non-committal, which raised Ranko's warning bells in her head.

"What happened?" she asked, giving him some room to enter. He did.

Shinji sighed as he slowly made his way to the couches, and sat down. He blinked slightly as he watched two anime males beat the crap out of each other. "Heh… reminds me of old times, eh?"

Ranko giggled somewhat. "Yeah. Though… we never got that violent, did we?"

"There was that one time…" Shinji remembered.

Ranko blushed. It was the most embarrassing moment of her life. She had at that time, mercilessly beaten Shinji without preamble, without warning, without mercy. It took her father and mother's interference to split them up… not even Kima was brave enough to try to stop her.

"I deserved it," Shinji stated.

"Don't be silly, little bro… I went over the top," she sighed.

"I hurt you, Ranko…" he muttered. "You were only trying to help. And I said… harsh… words."

"You were just hurt… after her death…" Ranko whispered.

He paused.

"Speaking of her… I remembered her again," Shinji said.

"Good times…?"

He just smiled solemnly, sadly.

"Oh… not the good times eh?" Ranko frowned. That was a dumb move. Yuki was always a sore subject around Shinji.

There was another moment of silence with Shinji watching the anime blankly, while Ranko was trying to find another topic to open up. Racking up her brain for one, she was saved from breaking the ice when Shinji himself seemed to have noticed something.

"Where's Kima?"

"Kima?" Ranko blinked a bit. "Oh, she's lost."

"Huh… maybe you ought to buy a leash now, really," Shinji declared.

"Hehe… if you asked her, maybe she'd comply," Ranko giggled.

Shinji chuckled as well, and both continued to watch the TV, somewhat in a better mood now… until the program was cut and a woman news anchor appeared, announcing something.

=-=-=--=-=-=

_**Sorry for the interruption but we have urgent news. From 11:30 PM, to early morning tomorrow, there will be a large scale blackout planned for all of Japan. Thank you for your cooperation. **_

=-=-=--=-=-=

The anime came back on, but Shinji and Ranko looked uninterested.

"Say…" they both mumbled. Surprised, they both paused, and looked at each other. Once more, they spoke in sync once more, "Sparring?"

"Heh… great minds think alike, right little bro?" Ranko declared, slapping Shinji's shoulders.

Shinji just grinned. "Let me dress up."

"Why? Hospital gown's good enough," Ranko took out her tongue. "Besides, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Now that's just gross, big sis," Shinji chuckled.

Moments later, they were outside, sparring, smiling as both exchanged punches, dodging every attack they unleashed to each other. Like a dance, the two were graceful with their follow-ups, their counters, and their aerial battles.

"… I'm weak…" Shinji suddenly declared as he threw a quick punch to Ranko, who dodged it.

"Shinji…" Ranko muttered dangerously as she shifted her whole body, unleashing a powerful flying kick towards Shinji's head. He dodged it cleanly.

"I ran away the moment I woke up after reliving the memory of her death…" Shinji barely dodged the incoming punch. "I ran away thinking I could escape it. The same way I tried to run away from Nerima-1 after her death… same way I tried to run away from you… from uncle Ranma… from auntie Kasumi.

"I am a coward."

Ranko growled, and for a second, stopped holding back. Her attack speed and power increased, pinning Shinji back to a defensive, where she easily tripped him, and finished it off with a punch aimed at his face while he was still in the air.

She stopped a few centimeters from his nose.

The two looked at each other, breathing hard. Ranko smiled a bit, and flicked Shinji in the nose hard enough to make him gasp and hold on to his nose as it burned with pain.

"Sheesh, little bro," Ranko sighed, standing up, swiping both her hands with two solid claps. "I'm not chopped liver. If you do anything stupid, I, the beautiful big sister of yours, will beat the crap out of you, and if you run away, I will beat the crap out of you and bring you back."

Shinji held his nose, smiling. "Thanks, big sis…"

"You're welcome," Ranko declared, smirking slightly. "What would you be without me?"

"Makes me wonder why you're still single, oh great big sister."

Ranko's eyebrows twitched. "Shinji… that's a taboo subject."

"Why, my great big sister? It is an honest question, is it not?" Shinji smirked, and began to scramble out of the way as Ranko screamed some obscenities, and began to chase him.

Section-2 found them later, with Ranko trying to shove Shinji through a brick wall. Headfirst.

=-=-=-| NERV Holding Cell |-=-=-=

Misato sighed as she paced around the hall. When she had first received the news of Shinji being found, her mind did a small celebration… but then it quickly died when she realized what she had to do next. Ordering Section-2 to put him in a holding cell until further notice, she was now on the process of preparing her tongue-lashing towards the way-ward pilot.

"Okay… Misato… you can do this…" she whispered to herself. Walking towards the holding cell, she nodded towards the guard, who opened the cell door.

"Pilot Ikari," she declared as she entered, only to slip slightly as she saw Shinji eating the food he was provided with gusto, smiling like an idiot. The image was so warm and fuzzy, almost enough to make her forget that she was supposed to be angry. Almost.

"Oh, hey, Misato-san," Shinji greeted, pausing on his meal. "What brings you here?"

Misato took a deep breathe, and let the rage flow, which was easy. All she had to do was remember Shinji calling her a pervert. "You have some gall asking me that after what you pulled here today! Did you know how stupid I felt, or how much damage you could have done if you weren't found!?"

Shinji's smile faltered a bit, and just nodded. "I'm sorry… Misato-san."

"You damn ought to be," Misato sighed, deflating somewhat. "Look… if it's about me sending you up unprepared, then I am sorry too. I understand if you're angry-"

"Hold on, Misato-san…" Shinji cut her off. "I'm not angry at you. It was an honest mistake. What happened earlier was nobody's fault."

"Then why'd you run off like that?"

Shinji paused, frowning. A rare site for Misato, as she had never seen her care show such negativity. He was usually cheery, having a smile on his face.

"I… had a dream of my past…" Shinji said, barely above a whisper. He hid his eyes from Misato. "Something terrible. It disturbed me, Misato-san."

"… want to talk about it?"

"One day, Misato-san… I promise," Shinji replied with a slight smile, looking back at his guardian. "Misato-san… can I get another shot at the Angel? It kinda pissed me off."

Captain Misato Katsuragi grinned somewhat. She then began to brief him on his next sortie.

=-=-=-| Mt. Futagoyama |-=-=-=

"Pilot Ikari," Rei greeted from the railing. It was dark already outside, the moon shining down on the pilots, who sat down on walkways near their units.

Shinji had been briefed by Misato, and for once, he didn't complain in using a gun to beat the Angel. He agreed anyway… the Angel didn't seem to have any real hand-to-hand combat skills, and just charging with a sword would be an act of suicide or delusion.

He was an Ikari raised by Saotomes. Not Kunos.

"Hey Ayanami-san," he greeted with a slight smile. "It is a nice night."

"Quite," she replied, and quieted down. For a few moments of silence, both pilots looked at their respective units, waiting for the time for them to deploy.

"We may die…" Shinji whispered, remembering Yuki.

Rei looked towards Shinji. She looked back at the night sky. "You will not. I have been assigned to protect you."

"Ah…" Shinji looked at his EVA unit. "Tell me, Ayanami-san… why do you pilot?"

Rei paused for a moment before answering, "It is my purpose."

"Purpose?" Shinji looked at her. "Nothing else?"

"I have nothing else," she replied.

"That's… sad, Ayanami-san," the boy said neutrally. "There is more to life than being a pilot… you know."

Rei said nothing, and just stood up. Holding on the rail, the moon above her, she just looked forward. "It is time for the operation. Goodbye."

Shinji stood up as well, staring at the girl as she entered her Entry Plug with a frown.

He didn't like her departing words. They were the same words Yuki had said during her last breathe.

=-=-=--=-=-=

The first shot missed. The Angel had fired simultaneously, and the two energies weaved through each other, making their shots miss a whole mile. Changing the fuse of the gun, Shinji waited an opportunity to make the second shot count.

The Angel was faster. Shooting once more towards his location, EVA Unit-00 intercepted, using a shield made from a bottom plate of a space shuttle, she was able to deflect the beam from hitting him directly… but her shield was beginning to melt, and the armor of her EVA was beginning to dissolve as well.

"AYANAMI!" Shinji shouted. "Misato! When can I get another shot out!"

"Fifteen seconds!" Misato replied.

"She doesn't have fifteen seconds!" Shinji growled. He closed his eyes, and delved inwards. _Please… please use my energy… make me get my shot out faster! _he thought in panic.

In the temporary command post, Makoto blinked as he noticed some odd readings.

"Um… ma'am… something's wrong," he called.

"What now?" Misato thought in panic. It was the damn wrong time for anything to go wrong!

"The Positron Rifle's charging faster! There's some strange energy emitting from the Unit-01 going towards the rifle!"

"What? Impossible! What is it?" Ritsuko asked.

"Pilot respiration has increased!" Maya blinked. "The… the reading's are going ballistic! LCL oxygen is dropping exponentially! Temperature of the Entry Plug has increased as well! The energy… I think its coming from Shinji!"

"What!?"

"Rifle ready to fire!"

Shinji's eyes opened, his targeting computer locking on the Angel. He pulled the trigger. The shot sped through, uninterrupted, hitting the Angel, penetrating its AT-Field and hitting its core inside. Without a sound, it floated away, its drill probe stopped and broken away from its main body, and landed somewhere in the city.

Shinji then worked towards the fallen Unit-00… its damage seemed minimal, but its armor was still looking pudgy. Unit-01 then removed the armored area near the base of its neck forcing the Entry Plug of Unit-00 to eject, and forcefully take out its LCL. Gingerly taking the plug out, Shinji placed it on the ground, and forcibly ejected his own plug, and exited.

Jumping down, he grunted as he felt fatigue from all the muscles of his body. He had expended some huge amounts of energy. Not only did he have to produce a huge amount of Ki, but also direct it through the EVA towards the rifle. He didn't know if it was going to work, but he made his shot come out faster, and that was all that was important.

Ignoring the burning sensation he had when he forced the hatch of the Entry Plug away, he looked inside, to see Rei unconscious.

"Ayanami!" Shinji shouted as he carried Rei out, and laid her on the ground. "Ayanami!"

Rei slowly opened her eyes, and noticed she was outside, and Shinji next to her, smiling as she came to.

"Pilot Ikari…?"

"Thank goodness… you're…" Shinji faltered then. "… safe."

Rei blushed when Shinji suddenly slid on top of her. She had never been this close to anyone… no one dared to, out of fear from the Commander, or because she didn't get along well with people.

"Ex… excuse me… Pilot Ikari…" she muttered, feeling warmer by the second.

"I'm… sorry, Ayanami-san…" Shinji sighed as he gave her a small smile. "I'm… a bit tired."

"It is… fine… Pilot Ikari…"

Shinji slid off her, not wanting to crush her with his weight, and just stayed there beside her. Both stared at the moon overhead in silence, while Shinji took deep breathes, sighing with relief.

Rei was safe. He was able to save her.

"You know… Ayanami-san… I envy you at times…" Shinji began. "But… don't say such sad words like 'goodbye' next time. It's… too sad."

Tears came from Shinji's eyes… the memory of him holding Yuki as he held her wound flashed through his mind.

"Why are you crying?" Rei asked, looking at him.

"Its nothing," he lied, wiping his tears quickly, and gave her a smile. "I'm just happy to see you safe…"

"There is no need for concern. I am replaceable," Rei whispered.

"Don't be silly, Ayanami-san…" Shinji replied. "If you think you're replaceable, it means you think you're worthless… and you are not worthless. Not to me."

Rei stayed quiet, looking away. Her cheeks flushed slightly once more, and she was wondering for a moment what was wrong with her.

"You speak… oddly," she said neutrally. "You confuse me. I do not know how to act in such situation."

"You're silly Ayanami-san," Shinji said. "My auntie Kasumi said it best… you're best bet is to smile."

Rei looked at Shinji, who seemed to node off from exhaustion. She looked up in the sky.

She tried smiling.

By the time Misato and the crew arrived, they were taken aback. Shinji was laying down on the ground, looking dead tired, while Rei was sitting up, close to Shinji, smiling.

"… uh…" Misato looked at Ritsuko. "You don't suppose…"

"Dear God, I hope not…" Ritsuko replied, looking a bit sick. "Besides… they are fully clothed…"

"Yeah… but it's the plug suit… doesn't it have like emergency breakaways in its joints, or slits in the crotch area…?"

"Please don't mention it," the faux-blonde declared. "They haven't done anything. Period."

Misato looked at Rei looking at them, smile still somewhat present. She then flushed somewhat, feeling uncomfortable showing her new reaction to them.

"I know that smile though."

"Misato, for the last time… drop it!"

**To Be Continued….**

_Author's Notes: _

_I've been going on too seriously about this. I'm adding more comedy the next time around. Promise. :P _

_As for Ranma… well, he'll appear. I've also gotten some ideas for Kuno's offspring. XD I did mention them, so they have to appear one day. I have no idea how to approach the next chapter yet, so I may finally work on Atelier Uzumaki. _

_Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Later! _


	7. 1:6

**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**

**1:6 – Melancholy of a Single Woman**

-x-x-| Katsuragi-Ikari Residence |-x-x-

Shinji whistled a rather happy tune as he began to whip up scrambled eggs. Adding a slight pinch of salt, and a bit heavy amounts of black pepper, he made a somewhat skillful show using the wok in flipping and cooking the eggs quite evenly. Beside that was a non-stick pan grilling bacon.

Ranko sighed as she looked at the toaster, waiting for the bread to pop out. Pen^2 (or Pen-Pen, but the author's lazy so its Pen^2) was enjoying his marinated sardine, taking one, and swallowing it whole.

All in all, a regular day in the Katsuragi-Ikari residence.

"I wish I had the talent for cooking," Ranko sighed. "Watching bread toast itself is… boring."

"I'll let you cook the rice next time, big sis," Shinji replied from his side gently.

"I can only make plain rice," the redhead sighed. "No way I'm going to miss out on your fried rice."

The toasted bread popped up.

"Toast's done," Ranko called.

"Just on time," Shinji replied, placing the scrambled eggs on one plate, and the cooked crispy bacon on another. He placed them both on the table. "I guess that only leaves…"

Before he could finish, Misato arrived, opening the sliding door. Her disheveled form, from her crumpled and very racy clothes from her skin-tight T-shirt to her cut off shorts, and messy bed-hair, she looked like she had wrestled with an Angel and lost.

"Mor…" she yawned, "… morning."

"Good morning, Misato-san," Shinji declared with a warm smile. "Here you go…"

Leading her to a chair, he quickly, in Hiten Mitsurugi speed, put a toast on her plate, two strips of bacon, and a generous amount of scrambled eggs. And as a finishing touch, he placed a can of her beer near the plate. Naturally, she went for that first, opening it, and taking a big swig.

"WHEW! Yeah! That's how you start the day!" Misato declared, now feeling more awake. Looking at her plate, she grinned towards the boy appreciatively. "Wow… what a breakfast! You sure you're not hiding something, Shinji-kun? Maybe something bad on your school record, and this breakfast is to appease me for things to come?"

Today was a parent-teacher conference, and as Shinji's guardian in Tokyo-3, she had offered to be present.

"Of course not, Misato-san," Shinji sat down on his own table. "And like I said before… you don't have to come. I know you're busy with NERV and all."

"Don't be silly," Misato mumbled as she put her toast in her mouth and chewed, her gaze darkening somewhat. "It's boring to work there when nothing's going on…"

That, and there were a ton of paperwork she hadn't taken care of yet… of course, she couldn't exactly say that.

"You sure are a hard worker, Misato-san. As long as it won't inconvenience you," Shinji smiled once more, and began to eat when the doorbell rang. He was about to get it, when Ranko, who just cleaned off her plate, stood up.

"Finish your breakfast," she stated. "I'll get the door."

"Thanks, sis," Shinji smiled, and began to eat a bit faster.

Ranko and Shinji knew who were at the door. They both came in everyday since Shinji had recovered from the battle of the Fifth Angel. Hikari had first put them up to it, after all, they were Shinji's only few friends on school (most boys looked at him as competition for the girls, and most girls found Ranko and Kima intimidating as love-rivals), but out of the two, it seemed only Kensuke was the more enthusiastic about it.

Toji was still nervous around Ranko, though he was now curbing that fear since the red-head was usually around when they hung out with Shinji.

"Hey boys," Ranko greeted friendlily.

"Morning Ranko!" Kensuke greeted with a wide smile.

"Yeah… morning," Toji greeted a bit nervously. Yup, he was making progress. Hopefully.

"Shinji's finishing up breakfast," Ranko stated.

"Finished!" Shinji suddenly declared as he exited from the kitchen. He looked at his two friends, and waved. "Hey guys."

"Hey, Shin-man!" Kensuke greeted. "Is Misato there?"

From the kitchen, an arm came out, waving towards them. "Hey boys."

"Morning, Misato-san!" Kensuke greeted with a very wide grin. Toji looked a bit more enthusiastic, but said nothing. The spectacled boy looked at Ranko. "You coming with us again?"

"Nah, not today," the red-head replied. She cringed a bit when she saw Toji's relieved face. "But if you guys wanna go at the arcade, call me, alright? I hear the new Street Fighter game came out."

"No problem," Shinji replied.

"I'm challenging you, Toji!" Ranko took out her tongue playfully at the boy, who looked somewhat scandalized when she said his name. He then relaxed somewhat, and smiled, nodding.

"Sure," he said, nodding.

"Alright, lets go," Shinji adjusted his sword slightly, and grabbed his school bag, flipping it over his shoulder. He looked at Ranko, and said, "Take care of the dishes, okay?"

"Don't worry about it. Get outta here," she replied, smirking, and waved as the boys left, slowly closing the door. After a moment, she walked towards Misato, who was enjoying her breakfast, and drinking her beer.

"He likes you."

Misato almost spat out her drink at Ranko's sudden words. After controlling herself, she asked, "Who? That Aida boy? Or Suzuhara?"

"Shinji," Ranko replied. "He really likes you."

"I have that kind of effect on boys," Misato smiled, feeling a bit proud. She remembered when she first met him, and tried to do a little flirting for him to get batteries for her car, and absolutely failed. Hearing that her body does really does affect him made her feel a bit better.

Not that she wanted to strip in front of him or anything, mind. Female pride… that's all it was, she thought happily, taking another swig at her beer.

"It's not that. I think he loves you."

And that got Misato spitting her beer out through her nose. She coughed, hacking remnants of the beer that had entered her lungs on the floor, and then looked at the red-head with disbelieved eyes.

"Wha… what!?"

Ranko smiled a bit. "I said, I think he loves you."

"Don't be silly," Misato's voice volume increased. "It's probably just some crush."

"Shinji has adopted himself for your betterment," Ranko muttered as she drank her tea. "That's not a simple crush. He knows what kinds of foods you like, when do you like your beer, and has a rough idea about your schedule, which is why he knows you could be busy today."

Misato flushed red as the implications hit her. It was true… ever since he had arrived, she had never had it easier at home. When she wakes up, she has a meal and beer, cooked and waiting for her. Most of the time, the meals were of her preference. That also holds true every time she comes home… the days where she would come home somewhat early, he would always give her something to eat, or if he wasn't there, some ready-cooked food for re-heating. The same can be said for dinner time. He would clean, even without her orders. Even her room was spotless, and for some reason, she didn't mind at all. Even the spare room was now spotless (of course, it didn't stop Ranko from sleeping in Shinji's room).

"All we need is a Minister, some legal documents, and you're good and married," Ranko smiled.

The picture of Shinji in a tux, and beside him, the taller purple-haired Misato in a dress she knew she wouldn't wear, if ever, with Church bells ringing, and everyone throwing rice… Ritsuko and Maya were the best maids… Gendo was the one giving up his son away… Rei as the ring bearer…

"No… nonononono!" Misato shook her head, trying to get the image out of her head. "You're wrong… seriously. Me and Shinji?"

"And what the hell is wrong with my little brother!?" the red-head suddenly demanded.

"He's fourteen!" Misato replied without hesitation.

"A hot fourteen year old…"

"Alright, I'll give you that… NO! I mean…" Misato began to stammer, now beginning to hit her head on the table. "It's wrong! I'm his guardian!"

"So was mom… and he had a thing for her," Ranko shrugged. "I think he's into older women."

The image of Shinji, Misato's innocent yet skillful Shinji just shattered, replaced with a debonair of a young man, on his knees, his face like the Commander's but friendlier, showing her a ring with a rather large rock, asking her to marry him.

"You're wrong!" Misato finally declared, grasping her last thread of defense. Plausible Deniability. "It could be anything. There is no concrete proof of what you're saying."

"Really?" Ranko raised her eyebrow. "If you really want proof that bad… ask him for anything."

"Huh?"

"Shinji is a bit obvious in some stuff. Ask him to do anything… well anything that won't harm innocent people," the red-haired girl stated. "Ask him something you think he won't do for you. If I'm wrong, he'll refuse. If I'm right… well… I just hope you don't regret what you ask of him."

There was a pregnant pause, Misato's eating speed down to a snail pace, while Ranko just enjoyed her breakfast. After a while, the red-haired girl stood up.

"I think I'll go around the city for a while. Later, Misato-san," Ranko declared, and she left the utterly shocked and confused Katsuragi in the kitchen.

-x-x-| NERV HQ |-x-x-

"Ask him to lick your feet or something," Ritsuko shrugged, going back to her computer.

"Thank you very much Doctor Akagi," Misato muttered sarcastically. "Without your helpful advices, I wouldn't have made myself in the loony bin."

"Last time I try to help," the faux blonde muttered.

"Can't you at least give me some sound advice?" Misato growled, slamming her fist on one Ritsuko's table. "Lick my feet, really, where the hell do you come up with that!? Do you get off in making that boy miserable or something?"

Ritsuko ignored the last question.

"Misato, your problem isn't that big, you know," she sighed. "I have bigger problems. And you busting in here, demanding to ask me what could ask Shinji to do for you isn't exactly what I had in mind for creative inspirations."

"Can you please… just help me out? Please?" Misato sighed. "This is serious!"

"Tell him to jump off the building. That's what I'd ask him if he ever 'fell in love' with me."

"Ritsuko…"

"Oh fine," the faux blonde sighed. "How about asking him to sleep with you?"

"He's a fourteen year old boy. A healthy fourteen year old boy," Misato stared. "It doesn't take a genius to know he'd jump on the chance!"

"Then ask him to do something demeaning!" Ritsuko rubbed her forehead with her right hand. "Like marry you, or something. That has to be the ultimate punishment for any kind of men."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Misato demanded.

"That you have no house-skills?" Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Let's face it, Misato. That Saotome girl is right. Shinji is basically living at your house like a traditional wife. He cooks, he cleans, he does your laundry! And you know what really surprises me? He's actually happy doing it! Whether you want to admit it or not… you guys are in a relationship."

"He's fourteen!"

"So what?" Ritsuko asked. "Fourteen is the legal consent age right now. Post-Second Impact Law Review, remember?"

Misato sighed, conceding that point. Ever since the tragedy of Second Impact, new laws concerning marital status, and legal age has been taken up for review because of dwindling population. It was recommended by almost all governments that the people marry early, by making marrying age at fifteen, with fourteen being the consenting age.

It was also one of the laws pushed by the Committee, one of the sponsors of NERV to help them train pilots and not be drawn into a court battle concerning Labor Laws.

"It's the principle. He's half my damn age!" Misato stated with a bit of coolness.

"Now you're just grasping for straws," Ritsuko declared. "Law is on your side… unless you force him. That's a different matter. But really… there is no court or lawyer who will argue with you if you do sleep with him."

"Why do you keep steering our conversation to that!?" Misato finally noticed, her face flushing with anger. Was Ritsuko really trying to get her to sleep with Shinji? "I want an alternative! I don't care if the law allows it! I don't care if Kami-sama comes down from the heaven's, declaring it morally right! I don't want to hear it!"

"Che… I almost cornered you there," Ritsuko smirked, and dodged the punch coming at her. "Hey, easy! Alright, I get it! It was a joke! Don't get your panties twisted."

"Mine's just fine," Misato growled. "Someone should check yours. Seriously… trying to put me in that position. What kind of moral adult are you?"

"I'm a scientist, I have no real use for morals," the faux blonde declared, smirking slightly. "Actually, scratch that. There is something you can ask him to do, Misato. You think I can borrow him for a while to do some research."

"What kind of research?" Misato asked, looking at Ritsuko's computer screen. It was on a web browser, on the site ThouTube. Ritsuko apparently was watching some sort of fantasy movie. "Didn't know you had such young-hearted hobbies, Ritz."

"You think its some sort of movie right? It's not. It's a fight from Nerima-1."

"What…?"

Misato sat down on a spare chair, and watched with interest as she saw two fighters suddenly throwing two glowing balls at each other. Then sometime later, they saw one of the fighters smashing through a brick wall, and then later, flying, jumping from rooftops to rooftops, with the second fighter landing a knock-out blow to his opponent.

"Bull," was all Misato could say.

"Yeah… I said that at the beginning too," Ritsuko sighed. "Apparently, it's a normal thing in Nerima-1. There, they have street fights severe enough to produce destruction of property. Some of the clips even present impossible light shows using some sort of bio-energy they can produce and throw at each other. They call it ki."

Misato only looked at her friend like she was crazy.

"Ritsuko… maybe you're working too hard on this…" she began. "Take the day off. It'll be good for you."

"Shove it, Misato," Ritsuko sighed as she minimized the web browser, and went towards the NERV network, going for Section-2's files. "Remember the day that Saotome and Hibiki girl arrived? The day that the Third Angel attacked? There was a fight at Shinji's school in which he was involved in… and Section-2 got this."

Misato stared blankly at the three-way fight between Ranko, Shinji and Kima. The boy had put on a good fight, but was the first to be out, expressing how much more skilled his sister and friend was than him. However, the highlights were the umbrella toss that created a rather sizable dent in the soccer field, an air-battle between Ranko and Shinji, and the tornado that popped out of nowhere that launched Kima in the air.

"Was Section-2 high on something when they created this video?" Misato asked, still looking disbelieved.

"That's what the head of Section-2 thought. Put it out of circulation until I requested it be brought forth after what happened to the last Angel attack," Ritsuko then began to type on her keyboard, showing data on the last skirmish Unit-01 had. "The pilot's respiration rate had increased almost ten times the normal amount, almost draining oxygen out of LCL, and you know how much oxygen that liquid holds. Unit-01 also had logged in some sort of odd energy readings, stemming from the Entry Plug. And to top it off, the Positron Rifle had received some sort of energy that converted into electrical current that decreased its charging time. Explain that."

"Um… computer malfunction?" Misato suggested.

"Don't insult me," the faux-blonde declared, angry. "Three computer malfunctions in such a short time frame? These figures are real and they are correct. Shinji had produced a great amount of energy that allowed him to fire off a second shot faster. Bio-energy."

"That's why you've been watching Nerima-1 fights?"

"Exactly," Ritsuko smiled a bit. "Can you imagine the amount of data we could collect from him? Humans that could produce bio-energy, and adapted enough to throw that energy outwards! It's like the evolution of man!"

"If it's so good, why don't we know anything about it?" Misato asked. "We're NERV for crying out loud. We know more things than the government of Japan does!"

"Well for one thing, Angels coming to destroy mankind kinda takes precedent over an urban myth like guys flying in mid-air, and throwing energy balls," Ritsuko replied.

"But still… people live in that city! Someone should have gotten wind of it!" Misato reasoned.

Ritsuko began to type again in her computer, and brought up what looked like official documents concerning Nerima-1.

"Yeah, true, but I think there's a cover-up. If you haven't exactly noticed, two families run Nerima-1 city's local government. The Kanzakis and the Kunos."

"Kunos… Kanzakis? Aren't they-?"

"Political big-shots, yeah," Ritsuko nodded. "They are the few richest families in Japan. For the past years, they have been donating rather heavily on Government bids, buying up people from different seats of the legislative, administrative, and judicial sections. There were rumors that the two families were even waging wars against each other, which just stopped recently when the new head of the Kanzaki proposed a cease-fire."

"Gods… Shinji was living in such a place?" Misato asked. "No wonder he acts like he's at home here!"

"It would explain a few things about him," Ritsuko stated. "Nerima-1 is a very hard place to live. These fights seemed to be a tip of an iceberg. It is a place of constant chaos. The only reason why no one seems to give a damn is because no one really dies because of the fights, and because it feeds their families there."

"Street fighting is a job there?"

"No, actually, the booming business there is construction and insurance," Ritsuko smiled a bit. "Apparently, the fights do a lot of property damage."

"This… this is messed up, Rits…" Misato looked at the new video clip of another fight. "Its like it came out of a damn manga!"

"Funny you should mention that... know all of those famous fantasy fight manga series that are out now? Apparently, the mangaka are either from Nerima-1, or visit there for inspiration."

Misato actually found that funny, and her smile formed a small grin. "Dragon Ball Z?"

"Maybe. Anyway, think you can lend him to me?" the faux-blonde asked. She then smiled, and added a few more words. "Don't worry… I won't take advantage of him."

"Haha," Misato rolled her eyes. "I'll ask him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow we have that UN meet about JetAlone, Misato," Ritsuko reminded.

_Ugh, JA…_ Misato thought darkly. It was pretty much a firm wanting to take a shot at the Angels by building a robot powered by a Nuclear Reactor. Apparently, it's so cheap, you don't need an AT-Field to kill Angels!

"Do we really have to go there?" Misato asked. "Even if it's for representation, you don't think the UN and the Government is actually dumb enough to buy JA's PR?"

"We're to make sure they won't even take a whiff on what JA has to offer," Ritsuko declared. "Speaking of representation… aren't you a bit late for Shinji's PT meeting?"

Misato blinked, and then looked at her wristwatch.

"Cripes… you're right!! I'm late, damnit!"

"Enjoy…" Ritsuko smiled slightly as she watched her college friend take off. She then remembered something she hoped Misato would hear from the hallway. "And don't forget to ask him okay!?"

"What!?" Misato replied back with a shout. Ritsuko only shook her head, wondering whether the last reply was a poke at her, or an honest answer.

-x-x-| Tokyo-3 High School |-x-x-

"Hey… what is that!?" one of the boys in Shinji's classroom pointed towards a speeding car that suddenly braked, drifting slight, turning one-hundred eighty degrees, perfectly shooting itself in a designated parking area.

"Toji! Misato's here!" Kensuke called, recognizing the car.

"Really?" Toji and Shinji sat up, and walked towards the window. Hikari, seeing Toji's sudden interest, felt compelled to know who this Misato was as well.

"Who's Misato, boys?" she asked, her hands on her hips, going for the 'dead serious' look.

"Shinji's hot guardian!" Kensuke replied before Toji or Shinji could reply. He was given a slap at the back of the head by the jock.

"Damn it! Keep your mouth shut!" Toji declared, but the damage was done. All the boys suddenly interested in seeing the Misato woman left all the lovely ladies alone as they looked out the window.

Misato stepped off her car after taking a deep breathe. She just made it in time. Being her, she went out the car in style, legs out first, and walked with feline grace she had gotten after years of practice. Her reward? Cat calls and wolf whistles.

"Oh wow! Look at that babe!"

"Ikari's living with her? Damn lucky guy!"

"Check it out guys! She's looking here!"

The girls around the class all looked at the boys with dark glances. Some began to whisper a plan for divine punishment for their boyfriends for showing such callous regards towards them.

Misato smiled inwardly. Yup, she still had it. Looking above them, she easily recognized Shinji, Toji, Kensuke, with the Aida boy recording her strut. She gave him a victory sign, and she had gotten an even louder reception. In the end, before she went out of view, she looked at Shinji, judging his reaction.

He made no cat call, no wolf whistle. He just gave her his usual friendly smile she had come to recognize, and gave her a small wave as a greeting. She waved back, and gave him a smile in return.

She would need to talk to him later.

-x-x-| Katsuragi-Ikari Residence |-x-x-

"Hungry, Misato-san?" Shinji stated as he went to the kitchen, the first place he goes every time he went home, Misato would notice.

"Nah, just…" and Shinji appeared in front of her, a can of beer ready in his hand, "… a beer. Thank you, Shinji-kun."

"You are welcome," he replied with a smile. He then returned to the kitchen. "I shall prepare supper."

Relaxing in her couch, Misato turned on her TV, skipping channels, not really looking for anything in particular. Her mind was somewhere else… somewhere trying to decide what she would do next. Ranko wasn't home, apparently, out, so she couldn't ask anyone about Shinji. Would she risk it? Would she ask him directly how he truly felt?

Direct questions would be met by strategic retreats. Misato knew that enough by experience. She was fourteen too at one point. A terrible time for her, yes, but she knew enough that if she bombarded Shinji with questions like that, he'd avoid the question as if he was dodging bullets.

By the time Shinji was calling for dinner, she was in absolute panic. She hadn't thought of anything that would make her little confrontation with Shinji better. It didn't even help the boy was so sweet that he had already set the plates, with another can of beer waiting with her plate.

She watched as the boy efficiently served the food to her first. It was curry chicken. It smelled great… and to top it off, it also seemed made from scratch. She took a bite… and it was absolutely delicious.

_Let's say I ask him… and he won't dodge the issue, and answers in complete honesty… if Ranko's right, what should I do? _she began to ask herself, the food calming her down.

Rejecting him was the first option in her head, but the more and more she thought about it, the less she had reasons to not accept. He was the perfect catch, she would admit honestly.

_Damn it Shinji! You're not making it easier for me! _Misato felt like slamming her head against the table. Oh how she wished he had some fault to make it easier for her! Any disgusting habit he has! There has to be something, right!?

"More beer, Misato-san?" Shinji asked, a can of beer already being laid to her side.

Misato groaned again, and decided to ask after dinner.

-x-x-x-x-x-

It was after dinner… and she was clamming up. A part of her wanted to just fly away to the moon and gaze among the stars. Another part of her was wanting to do something really… inappropriate. Another part of her just wanted to just finish the whole thing.

_You can do this Katsuragi!!! _Misato declared, now finding her steel.

"Um… Shinji…" Misato called nervously.

"Yes?" the boy replied, his back on her, washing the dishes.

"If… um… there is… I mean…" Misato slapped her cheeks with both her hands, trying to stop her stuttering. "Shinji, I need a favor…"

"Sure, Misato. Anything for you."

Anything for you. 

Anything for you. 

Misato imagined herself riding her mighty steed, rocking hard that the bed squeaked, twirling a lasso in the air like a cowgirl, complete with a hat, very small vest, short leggings, and a lot of sweat, with the music blazing, singing the chorus of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' in rhythm with her hips.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Shinji blinked as the new sound of something hitting something came behind him. Turning around, he spotted Misato slamming her head on the table… very hard.

"Oh my! Misato-san! What are you doing!" the boy asked, and was about to stop her. There was no need. She knocked herself out before he could even intervene.

The last thing on Misato's mind before it went black was the chorus of the song 'Girls Wanna Have Fun' playing backwards in a loop before cutting off completely.

-x-x-| Next Day, Plane to Old Tokyo |-x-x-

"What the hell happened to you?" Ritsuko blinked, seeing Misato in full dress-uniform, sober, and with a bandaged head.

"Don't ask. Just don't frigging ask," Misato growled as she sat down. Ritsuko, wisely, didn't speak at all until they arrived at the UN Meet in Old Tokyo.

Old Tokyo was formerly known as Tokyo City before Second Impact. The rising water had flooded the city, utterly making it useless. It was kept as it is, some sort of reminder to people of the tragedies that befell them… and it was also a good place to have meets concerning of Military in nature. After all, the only populated areas were miles away, making Old Tokyo quite an isolated place.

JetAlone… the banner on the meeting room was big, and written in bold letters. On the floor, different branches of government military along with some UN representatives surrounded the lonely NERV table at the center. There, the only ones representing NERV were Ritsuko and Misato.

The purple-haired Captain was in a very bad mood. Head trauma, overactive imagination, a seemingly perfect fourteen year old... and now, this. JetAlone representatives and speaker was, for the lack of better term, a complete ass. He would suck up to the government representatives, or praising the UN for their efforts in the chaos that was in their world today. After explaining the general idea on how JetAlone would be a better alternative in fighting off Angels, Ritsuko had to raise her hand.

"Ah, yes, the famous Doctor Ritsuko Akagi of NERV," the speaker declared flakily. "You have questions?"

"Yes," Ritsuko declared steadily. "According to the documentation, the unit is equipped with internal nuclear engine. Looking at it in perspective, wouldn't that be too much of a risk using such volatile energy as a land-battle weapon?"

"It is more useful than a weapon that shuts down after five minutes without its power chord."

Misato rolled her eyes. The guy just dodged the question.

"How about the fact your unit is completely run via remote? Wouldn't there be problems of interference during an emergency situation?" the faux-blonde asked.

"Our system is more humane," the speaker replied easily. "It doesn't leave its pilot with mental stress."

Ritsuko didn't back down, asking more questions, and each time, the speaker dodged the issues completely, taking pokes and questioning NERVs morality. Misato didn't even listen anymore, her hands gripping the table so hard her knuckles were turning white.

"You can say what you want, but without NERV's primary weapons, nothing can defeat the Angels," Ritsuko finished.

"You're talking about the AT-Field, yes?" the speaker grinned. "It is only a matter of time. NERV's epoch won't last forever."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Later, in the dressing room, Misato was currently trying to smash one locker completely by kicking it down... pretty impressive consiering she was wearing heels.

"Let me shoot him, please," she declared in a hard tone. "It'll be easy. You show him some leg, lure him in the dark corner of the base, and I'll shoot him in the head."

"Don't be childish, Misato," Ritsuko replied, though she herself was acting childish. Instead of bringing down a locker, she was burning JetAlone's itinerary, her face promising to bring pain. "He's just a child, acting big, lapping for some praise."

"That doesn't help knowing how they know about the AT-Field!" Misato growled. "That shows there's a leak somewhere!"

"Don't worry about it," Ritsuko stated calmly. She then turned the conversation around. "Anyway, Misato… have you asked the Third Child to spend some time with little ol' me?"

"No," the purple-haired woman growled. "Didn't find the opportunity yet."

Akagi stared at her friend. "What? Why the hell not?"

"Because I hit my head on the table."

Ritsuko blinked, and after a moment of deliberation, she just shook her head, and left Misato to her own devices. The woman decided that the locker hadn't been given adequate punishment, and just began kicking it again.

"Kami… I wish something happens to JetAlone. It'll serve those idiots right!" the Captain declared.

-x-x-| Tokyo-3 High School |-x-x-

Shinji was called from his class to the principal's office, where two Section-2 men in black gave him the news.

"Oh my… you mean to say there's a giant robot with a nuclear reactor threatening to melt down, and its moving towards Atsugi?" he asked, looking terribly shocked.

The two men nodded.

"How rude!" Shinji declared.

-x-x-| Plane to intercept JetAlone |-x-x-

Misato had to give credit to Section-2… they had actually gotten Shinji with them quite early. But then again, how hard was it really to find a boy in his school during class?

"Hey, Misato-san," Shinji waved.

"Shinji," Misato waved back and looked towards Makoto, the technician who was called from NERV to assist her. "Hyuga-kun."

"Yes ma'am?" the nerdy technician straightened up from his seating position.

"Once the EVA launches, escape quickly. Ascend to a safe level."

"Roger!"

"Shinji," Misato called. "JetAlone, as you know is making its way to Atsugi."

"No problem," Shinji smiled a bit. "I shall cut it down easily."

"No, don't do that…" Misato stated, though she really wanted to see him try. "It has a nuclear reactor. We can't risk it exploding."

"Can I just cut its legs then? It will hopefully stop its mobility," the boy reasoned.

"You know what… that's fine," Misato nodded. "It would make it easier for me to ride on board."

The Third Child stopped, and looked at his guardian, confused. "Ride on board? What are you talking about, Misato-san?"

"I need you to carry me to JetAlone's back," Misato replied easily. "I'll hitch a ride on board, and directly try to disable the reactor core from the inside."

"That's stupid!" Shinji declared suddenly, his smile vanishing, his tone becoming quite serious. Quite an out of character act, Misato thought as she felt her heart beat somewhat faster… did she just find a chink in Shinji's infallible armor?

"I can't allow you to do that!" the boy continued. "Do you know what happens when things go to the worst?"

"Don't worry, the EVA can withstand a nuclear explosion," the woman smiled.

"It's not the EVA or me I'm worried about," he declared. "Its you! How can you-"

And he was cut off when Misato held his hand, her face and eyes going serious, matching his solemn expression.

"Shinji… I have to do this," she replied. "I have to do what I can… or I'll regret it. Please Shinji… follow me on this, alright?"

He sighed, and shook his head. "Alright."

-x-x-x-x-x-

The EVA launched near the path where JetAlone was traversing in. They needed to get as close as they could because Unit-01 would be launched without a power chord, and his time would be dependent on its internal batteries.

Landing gently on the ground, Shinji had to check in, and make sure Misato wasn't hurt from the impact.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine…!" Misato stated, sounding pretty healthy. "Alright… you know your mission, Shinji… take me to it!"

"Gotcha!"

Running at full speed, in a few seconds, Unit-01 had visual confirmation of JetAlone. It was running towards the city.

"Oh my… it looks like a pot…" Shinji commented. "A pot with arms and legs."

"Well… it'll feel like a pot inside…" Misato commented, not exactly looking forward to experiencing the heat inside a nuclear reactor.

"Alright, Misato… this may become a bit bumpy…" Shinji declared as the EVA took out its sword from the make-shift sheathe attached to his left leg with his right free hand. He then increased his sprint, reaching JetAlone in seconds.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Back in the Old Tokyo bunker, the speaker of JetAlone screamed as Unit-01 cut off the robot's legs completely.

"What are you doing!?" he demanded towards Ritsuko, who had a slight smile on her face, watching Shinji in action. "You were not supposed to do major damage to it!"

"Please take it as a demonstration," Ritsuko replied calmly, her grin serene, and then it turned somewhat ugly. "A demonstration on what's a superior land-based weapon."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Whoa!" Misato declared as she saw how cleanly Shinji got that strike out. She wasn't even rocked hard when he moved like that. "You know how to give a girl a good time! Get me on that robot's back!"

Without its legs, the only thing that's thrashing around were the arms. It rocked the body too hard for Misato to land on cleanly, so Shinji stabed one of the offending arms with his sword, burrowing the blade deeply, and at the same time, took out his progressive knife from the pylon of Unit-01's shoulders, and used that to stab the other arm still.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You… you are merciless!" the speaker of JetAlone was on the verge of crying.

Ritsuko loved every minute of it. Sadistic girl, ain't she?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misato had successfully gotten, and immediately went to the terminal inside JetAlone. Writing down the password, 'HOPE', which was given by the speaker of JetAlone earlier, she was surprised when the system didn't accept it.

Ignoring Shinji's plea for her to come out, she tried forcing the control rods in, with the nuclear reactor going critical. Instead of the imminent explosion that she and Shinji were dreadfully waiting for, the system suddenly accepted its shut-down command, and the control rods finally activated, turning the disaster into what some might call a miracle in two seconds flat.

The reactor finally cooled down, and the JetAlone finally died down.

"You did it!" Shinji declared, sounding pretty happy. Misato could only shake her head.

"Yeah… I did it…" she replied, not really believing it.

Someone had deliberately tampered with JetAlone's programming.

-x-x-| NERV HQ |-x-x-

Commander Ikari read the reports given to him by Ritsuko, and nodded, looking quite satisfied.

"Very nice," he stated. "Even with Katsuragi's interference, it seems the scenario was a success. The UN and the Japanese Government will now continue their support on NERV's cause."

"The Third Child also impressed a whole lot of them," Ritsuko smiled a bit. "Brutally efficient and crucifying JA was very theatrical. Gave a few generals a scare enough to make them respect him."

Gendo frowned. Yes, his son was very helpful today, but on the long run… he had to do something about it.

-x-x-| Katsuragi-Ikari Residence |-x-x-

Dinner was eaten and done… the beer cans were open and drunk, yet no comfort was received. She was finally out of her rather stuffy dress-uniform, back to her loose house clothing, yet she didn't feel relaxed. In opposite, Misato felt like she had just come home from a long and tiring war. She was tense. She was worried.

Not about JetAlone, that one she had filed in the back part of her mind. She had no proof, no anything. Plus, she wasn't as interested about that (probably because no one was really harmed and there was no nuclear fallout) as she was about Shinji.

The boy had come home from another sortie, relaxed, calm, and cleaning the dishes. She had to ask… it was killing her.

"Where's Ranko?" the woman asked, wondering if they were alone. She hadn't seen the red-head for two days already.

"I got a message from her… she's coming home late, later," the boy replied.

"Ah…" Misato nodded. "Shinji…"

"Hmmm?" the boy replied, now opening the tap to let the water rinse the soaped dishes.

"Um… about yesterday…" Misato whispered, though still audible enough to be heard. "Remember what we talked about…?"

"Before you suddenly rammed your head into the table?"

"Yeah, before that… and don't remind me," the woman sighed. "I have a favor to ask."

"Anything for you," Shinji looked at her and smiled.

Misato riding her mighty steed-

Before her imagination could even finish the image like last time, Misato mentally punched it away. She took a deep breathe. It was time.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Ritsuko was outside the apartment door, carrying a six-pack beer. She wasn't into it as Misato was, but then again, she did deserve to bring her friend something so she could relax. Boiling inside a nuclear reactor isn't exactly a walk in the park, plus scaring her half to death with the whole debacle…

Of course, it was also Misato's fault. She shouldn't have just jumped into the fray like that, but Ritsuko knew she had to expect it from her. She sighed, and raised her hand, about to knock on her door, when she heard a shout.

"Oh God yes!!"

The faux-blonde's face turned rather white. Misato's voice. Loud… and bathed with ultimate pleasure.

"Ugh… wait, wait… don't push so hard! UGH! Yes, YES! That's the spot!"

"That… woman!" Ritsuko whispered to herself, scandalized. "What a hypocrite! She actually went and had a go with him!?"

"Wow… you're good… no… great… I swear…"

Ritsuko swallowed. That young… that good!? She cursed. Gendo wasn't exactly Mr. Lover himself, but apparently his son was. Why did Misato have all the damn luck!?

"Faster! Faster! Yeah! YES! YES!"

Ritsuko left before her nose started bleeding.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Inside, Shinji frowned slightly. "Misato… you're a bit too loud. What if your neighbor thinks something inappropriate is going on?"

Misato settled back down on the couch, lying. "Screw them. It's just my first time you know. And you're really good at it!"

"I am of many talents," Shinji smiled, and then playfully took his tongue out to her. "Enjoy it while you can, Hentai-san."

Misato smiled rather deliriously as she received the best damn foot massage ever, not minding Shinji's teasing for once. As long as he kept going for that spot. Oooh, yes… that spot.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey, I'm back," Ranko declared as she entered the apartment. Shinji was on the couch, watching the TV. "Where's Misato?"

"Sleeping… she had a hard day," Shinji replied. The boy looked at the girl, and frowned slightly. "You put a weird idea in her head, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, little bro…" Ranko replied airily. Shinji just made a face, and later, the red-head relented. "Oh, alright. I did give her an odd idea about you ready to do anything for her…"

"It bothered her you know," the boy stated. "Made her hit her head on the table. Multiple times."

"Overactive imagination?" Ranko shrugged. "It would be interesting what she thought of when she did that…"

"Be nicer, sis… please?"

"I'm just worried about you," Ranko said. "She likes you. She shows you her real face around you. She may not know it completely, but its there."

"I know…" the boy replied. "I'm starting to feel the same. I'm getting comfortable around her. I guess I like her too."

"She works for your old man…" the older girl muttered. "She's your anchor here."

"Yeah…" Shinji nodded. "But even so… please?"

Ranko sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you, big sis."

**To Be Continued…**

_Author's Notes: _

_Now that was fin to write. Added silliness that my last few chapters seemed to lack, yet I think I kept it well grounded. Next… what will our lovely fiery German Suplex… uh, I mean, Asuka Langley-Sohryu do when she meets her ultimate match? And no… its not Shinji. :P _

_Later! _


	8. 1:7

Misato prepared to finish off the last of her paperwork before she would pick up Shinji, Ranko, Toji and Kensuke from her apartment. Today was the day they would finally meet the Second Child. A UN escort was currently transporting her and her EVA Unit via sea, and Misato was going to greet her while transporting a power chord for her EVA, in case of emergencies.

Deciding that the pilots should meet as soon as possible, she had asked the Commander to take Rei and Shinji along with her. Gendo wouldn't let Rei out as she needed to do more tests, so she was left to take Shinji along. The boy had been rather good to her, so she allowed him to take a few friends.

Kensuke had immediately taken up the offer. He was a military enthusiast, and apparently, and the idea of seeing a post-Second Impact Aircraft Carriers was something he wouldn't miss for the world. Misato giggled slightly as she remembered Kensuke arrive at her apartment, hugging Shinji tightly, saying his thanks with teary eyes.

Toji was a much simpler person. He accepted because he would skip school if he did.

Ranko was a surprise, because she insisted on coming as well. Explaining it may be a tight fit, she ignored Misato's misgiving, and just said she'd find a way.

"Having fun?"

Misato looked up, surprised to see Ritsuko at the entrance of her office. She just smiled at the faux-blonde.

"Hey Rits! And no," the Captain replied. "I'm just going over the last of my bane before me and the kids go to the transport."

Ritsuko just stared at her, eyes unreadable. She then approached Misato's desk, and began to type on the table slightly, drumming it with her fingers. For a moment, no one said anything. The faux-blonde kept tapping the table, while Misato just kept reading the papers and signing it in the appropriate places. It wasn't long before the Captain then began to get annoyed, the drumming sound distracting her.

"Yes, Ritsuko?" Misato asked with an annoyed sigh.

"I was wondering if you have asked Shinji about my proposal," Ritsuko replied. "You know… the one I asked you about days ago?"

The scientist had wanted to study Shinji and his ability to manipulate his own bio-energy, or ki as it's called. Misato had completely forgotten about it, being subjected by the most intense and mind-blowing foot massage that diverted the Captain from everything, really.

Was it her fault Shinji was that good to addle her brain that much? Of course not!

"Ah, geez, Rits, sorry," Misato smiled apologetically. "I've been… um… distracted as of late."

More like she regressed from reality for a moment. It was her defense mechanism (that, along with beer and sex, and she really isn't getting the latter) in trying to forget the whole debacle with the whole notion that Shinji was in love with her. She hadn't even gotten any answers, actually. She never dared asked the boy, nor did Ranko say anything more when she saw the red-head again, something Misato was grateful for. Instead, she maintained a sort of friendship with the boy, who in turn, responded kindly. The two became closer than ever.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Ritsuko replied darkly.

"What the hell does that mean?" Misato demanded, looking at her friend oddly. Was she implying something?

"Nothing. Just get your lazy ass on it," Ritsuko walked away, and paused before she exited Misato's office. "What you did may be legal, but seriously, Misato. I'm disappointed in you. Never thought you'd be a hypocrite."

Misato blinked as Ritsuko left. What the heck was that all about?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**

**1:7 – Dazed, Confused, and Germany**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Over the Pacific Ocean, a UN Transport helicopter flew towards the blue vastness. Inside, a pilot and Misato sat at front, while Kensuke, Shinji, Toji and Ranko sat at the behind them. The red-head was holding Shinji's sword, sitting on his lap.

"Damn it Shin-man! You get all the luck!" Kensuke declared loudly. Of course, with the noise the helicopter was making, Shinji heard nothing gibberish.

"What?"

"I said, you get all the luck, Shin-man!" Kensuke stated louder.

"Oh? Why?" Shinji asked.

"Dude… you have Ranko at your lap!"

"Yeah, she's pretty heavy! Wanna trade?"

An elbow made its way to Shinji's face, reminding Kensuke that if he said yes, the girl wasn't exactly just going to slap him in the wrist. Not that he minded.

"Heavy!?" Ranko demanded. "You're lucky it's me and not Kima!"

"Oh my… if it was Kima, she'd tell me to sit on her lap instead," Shinji replied easily. "She's strong enough to support me… unlike someone I know."

"WHA! You calling me weak!?" the red-head demanded. "I'll kick your ass now! Fists up!"

"Now, now, children. Calm down," Misato called from the front, smiling a bit at their antics. She looked at Ranko. "Told you it'd be a tight fit."

"But it's so fun, Misato-san! You should come join! I'm sure Shinji won't mind," Ranko declared, taking her tongue out playfully at the end. Misato immediately looked forward to hide her blush.

"Ranko…" Shinji said slowly.

"Don't worry. I'm just teasing," Ranko replied honestly, knowing Shinji was reprimanding her a bit since the whole 'Shinji loves you' bit she had seeded in the woman's mind days ago. The effects were there, but the red-head already promised her adoptive brother she wouldn't try something like that again. Shinji just nodded, accepting her word, knowing it to be honest.

The helicopter traveled on… Kensuke, a camcorder in his hand, began taping the ocean, with sparkling streaks blinking as the water moved, the sun shining on them. Misato settled on talking towards the pilot about their bearings, while Toji and Ranko talked about their last fight in the arcade. The boy had seemingly finally gotten rid of his fear of Ranko's presence, and were hitting off as friends.

"Oohh! There it is!" Kensuke screamed, causing Shinji, Toji and Ranko to look where he was pointing at. At the distance, all they could see were specks floating on the blue sea, but the closer they got, the more it was obvious that those specks were military boats; battleships and aircraft carriers.

"Look at them! Gorgeous!" the spectacled boy declared as he kept recording.

"Gorgeous?" Toji looked at his friend in disbelief. Was that what one calls a whole bunch of floating metal?

"Don't you know what they are?" Kensuke looked appalled. "That's the pride of the UN! The glorious carrier: Over the Rainbow!"

Ranko blinked, and whispered to Shinji, "Your friend is going to have a hard time getting married… or will marry a woman soldier."

"I can always set him up with an Amazon," Shinji grinned. "He'd probably appreciate it too."

"Evil, little bro…" Ranko grinned. "Pure evil."

While that conversation went on, Misato looked at the carrier they were landing to, her face obviously not impressed by the boat.

"I'm just surprised that relic is still floating," she commented.

Kensuke didn't take his camcorder or eyes off the carrier, but did reply, "It's a vintage model from just before Second Impact. Relic or not… its beautiful."

"Or maybe I'll just get him an aircraft carrier… he seems happy with that," Shinji whispered to Ranko.

As the helicopter landed, the wind began to pick up. When its rotors were turned off, and the pilot gave them the green signal, Misato was the first one to come out of the transport. Kensuke was next, still filming everything. Ranko gave Shinji his sword back, and along with him, they went down. Toji was the last to follow.

"Oh my…" Shinji declared as he saw the clear blue skies and seas, the wind blowing harshly against him. He didn't feel any cold, even with his sleeveless Chinese shirt… ah, the wonders of ki.

Ranko grinned, her dress bellowing with the strong breeze, though she too didn't look bothered by the cold. Both took deep breathes, smelling the wonderful salty smell of the sea, appreciating the wonder of nature in its finest, and as some would say, it's most unpredictable.

"It's been a while since we've been to a beach," Shinji stated. "I could use another training there."

"Heh… training," Ranko shook his head. "I know a sandy area is much better for footwork and leg training, but I'd wish you'd at least go there to appreciate the beauty of relaxing."

Shinji rolled his eyes.

"Oh how can I forget, I could use a vacation, leer at you and Kima in bikinis, wondering why my lovely sister is single…"

Ranko's arm suddenly wrapped around Shinji's neck and shoulders, and she pulled him nearer to her, to her chest. Her face was a mask of rage, her forehead twitching repeatedly. She conked him directly on top of his head.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Shinji struggled to get free, while Ranko just rapped her knuckles to his head.

"Taboo, Shinji. Taboo," and Ranko let go of him. The boy rubbed his head, but smiled just the same, even through his pained expression.

"We have to talk about that one of these days," Shinji stated. "There is no reason why my lovely sister hasn't-"

"HEY! Someone get that cap!" Toji shouted from the background.

Shinji and Ranko turned around, forgetting their conversation, and watched as Toji gave chase to his baseball cap that had dislodged itself from his head because of the strong winds. She giggled, and declared, "Come on. Let's help your friend before that cap takes a bathe in the blue yonder."

"You're starting to sound like uncle Tatewaki," Shinji declared, making the red-head blush. "Blue yonder… any more poetic expressions I'm going to hear from you?"

"Oh shut up," Ranko groaned. "Besides… Setsuna speaks in poetic expressions as well…"

"Only occasionally," Shinji smiled a bit. "And she doesn't overdo it like her father."

"Occasionally?" Ranko grinned. "Don't you mean, only to you?"

"Hmmm?" Shinji blinked.

"Gods you're clueless sometimes, you know," Ranko shook her head, though she was smiling. "Come on. Lets help Toji."

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Damn it, Toji thought. He was crouched as he gave chase to his erring cap. Why the heck did he bring this with him? Part of him answered it was a new cap he had bought to impress Misato. Another thought told him it was because the cap is pretty cool looking, and rather inexpensive. Whatever the reasons were, he knew it wouldn't mean anything if he lost his brand-new cap to the sea.

"Someone! Help me! Stop that cap!" he shouted.

Someone did, much to Toji's surprise. It was a feminine leg that finally stopped his cap from moving any farther.

"Oh, thanks," Toji declared, not taking his eyes of the cap. "I was chasing it forever… WHA!"

That feminine leg just stepped on his new hat.

"HEY! Don't do that!" Toji declared as he looked up from his position, and then swallowed.

The girl stepping on her cap was beautiful. She had arrogant blue eyes and a cocky smirk on her confident face. Her red hair, though Toji realized wasn't as red as Ranko's, danced with the wind as she crossed her arms over her rather large (for her size) chest. She was dressed in a yellow sun-dress, which he found rather odd.

"Whoa, Toji! Who's the babe?" Kensuke, who was behind Toji asked, filming the beauty in front of him. Misato arrived moments later, along with Ranko and Shinji.

"Well, well, well," Misato grinned. "Asuka, my, you certainly have grown tall."

"Heh," the girl standing on Toji's cap stated. "Not only did I gotten taller, but I filled out as well."

Misato shook her head, grinning. Same old Asuka. She hadn't changed a bit. Seeing the confused expression on Shinji, she introduced them.

"Guys, I want you to meet the designated Second Child. Asuka Langley-Sohryu."

That's when the wind suddenly picked up, lifting the skirt of her yellow sundress, exposing her panties for anyone to see.

Toji was the first to be slapped, rather hard too being the first one there, and being the one who was closest. Kensuke blinked as he saw the girl suddenly turned to him. First instinct was to run, but his new-found fear of her made him stay there, where she easily slapped his camcorder away, and hit him in his cheek with an open palm.

Asuka wasn't done. She counted three guys. Her eyes immediately went to Shinji, and she raised her hand, about to give him the same treatment when the red-headed girl beside him confronted her, covering the boy behind her.

"Whoa, there," Ranko declared. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What are you, the loser's girlfriend?" Asuka asked harshly, pointing towards Shinji.

"No, his sister, actually," Ranko replied easily.

Asuka blinked. "Yeah right," she declared.

"My family adopted him," Ranko explained. "But yeah, he's my little bro. So, if you're going to harm him, of course I'm going to take offense in that."

"Yeah, seriously!" Toji stood up, wincing slightly as he felt his cheek. On his head was the cap that he grabbed when Asuka moved in to slap Kensuke. "What the hell was that slap for!?"

"It's a viewing fee," Asuka replied as she looked at him, smirking. "Quite the bargain, isn't it?"

"Wha…! You're crazy!"

Asuka scoffed, and looked at Toji, Kensuke, Shinji, and finally, towards Misato. "Which one of these is the famous Third Child?"

She stole a glance at Kensuke. "Ugh, not him, please."

"Actually, this one right here," and Misato placed her arm around Shinji's shoulder, "is the Third Child. Shinji Ikari."

"Oh my… nice to meet you," Shinji stated serenely.

"You eh?" Asuka looked at him, her eyes studying him up and down. "You still owe me, Third Child."

"Shinji…" Ranko declared suddenly, earning her the attention of Kensuke, Toji, Asuka and Misato as she grabbed her adoptive brother's arm. "Family meeting. Now."

"Sure," the Third Child declared, and followed Ranko as they both moved away from the group, though not that far. Judging from their crouch and the way they put their hands to cover their mouths it was quite clear the meeting was private… yet they spoke loudly enough to be heard.

"Shinji, I do not want you to associate with a girl like that…"

"Why? If it's because she's foreign…"

"No, no, not like that. The fact that she's what mom would warn you about…"

"The one with multiple STDs?"

"Yes, that one…!"

"WHAT!" Asuka shouted, her face turning red with anger. Ranko and Shinji ignored her though, still talking quite loudly.

"How can you be sure, big sis…?"

"Viewing fee… it means she demanded payment from you after she flashed you… only one kind of women demands such things."

"Well… to be fair, it was her right to be angry. She had been exposed…"

"Yeah, but she's wearing a dress like that on top of a carrier… which is windy, by the way…"

"That's true," Toji commented, earning a glare from Asuka. He flinched a bit.

"She could not have known… I mean, look at Toji, his cap flew away…"

"But wasn't she like living? She would have known it was windy. Yet she still came out dressed like that knowing full well she would be exposing herself. What would she do next? Ask you for ten-thousand yen for a one-night-stand?"

Misato snorted, knowing full well Ranko and Shinji were just ganging up on poor Asuka, who looked ready to explode.

"I'm not a whore!" Asuka shouted.

"She's a woman of the night, little bro… keep away from her."

"She's the Second Child… I don't think I can keep away from her…"

"Stick to Misato… maybe she won't get you when there's an adult around. Or just don't walk alone around her. Don't walk inside a bathroom alone. Or on dark streets."

"Think she'd follow me there?"

"You do not know how a girl like that thinks… and don't make her mad. She might just rape you in your sleep…"

"I'M NOT LIKE THAT!" Asuka shouted. Kensuke and Toji wanted to roll on the ground, laughing themselves off the carrier, but just settled on stifling it with their fists.

"So… what do we do now? I mean… she wants to slap me…"

"Let her… then just avoid her," Ranko finished, standing up. She looked at the group and nodded. "Alright, family meeting over. Shinji… be a man!"

"Yes, big sister!" Shinji declared as he immediately approached the completely red Asuka. "Sohryu-san… I shall accept your graceful slap as long as you don't rape me-"

Ranko coughed loudly. Shinji then mocked an aghast face, and corrected himself quickly, but not quickly enough.

"I mean, as long as we can work together in defeating the Angels," Shinji finished.

Asuka just stared at Shinji, her face going through one of the most amazing changes one can see in a human being. Anger, disgust, rage, embarrassment, shock, and finally, defeat.

"Scheisse!" was all she shouted, and left in a hurry, her fists closed, shaking, as she ran. That's when Toji and Kensuke's laughter just reached an all high, making the surrounding soldiers wonder what just happened.

"You're mean, Ranko," Misato declared, smiling a bit. "You too Shinji."

"Served her right," Ranko replied, taking her tongue out, an expression anyone who hung around Ranko knew she did frequently.

Shinji just smiled, and did what he did during those times. "Oh my… I hope she doesn't actually force herself on me on my sleep."

Toji and Kensuke found themselves laughing even harder.

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At the bridge, the group once more met up with Asuka. She just glared at Shinji and Ranko heatedly, while Misato, in her element, showed why she was the Operations Director of NERV, staring at the Captain of the carrier without flinching, as he seemed to look at her rather balefully.

"I have thought you were these kids' nanny, but I guess I was mistaken," the Captain declared with an arrogant smirk. Misato just played it coolly, and saluted.

"Thank you for having us on-board," she stated calmly.

"No, thank you for giving us more kids to take care off," the captain declared, motioning towards Kensuke who was a bit busy. His camcorder was apparently still working, and walking around taping around the bridge, something which annoyed the First Officer to no end.

Behind Misato, Shinji, Ranko, and Toji looked at her as her facial twitches became a bit more pronounced, but not enough to disrupt the calm façade she was projecting. She then opened her folder file, and handed papers towards the Captain.

"We appreciate your assistance in the marine transport of Unit-02. Those are the specs for the emergency power supply socket."

The Captain just stared at the paper, and scoffed. "First of all, I would never approve the request to activate that toy while we're still in the sea, and therefore, in our jurisdiction."

"Please take it as a precaution, in case of emergency," Misato replied calmly.

"Hmph," the Captain scoffed again. "That's what the Pacific Fleet is here for. Used as a bloody cargo service. When did that happen again, First Officer?"

"When a certain organization was established, Captain," the First Officer replied easily.

Misato sighed a bit, losing her calm façade a little bit. "No offense, captain, but it may not have been enough, considering the importance of Evangelions." She then smiled, and handed another paper. "Would you sign this, captain?"

"Not yet," the man declared steely. "Unit-02 and its Pilot were assigned to us by the Third Branch in Germany. I won't let you just waltz in and let you take them as you please."

"Understood, captain," Misato stated. "So, when will you transfer them to us?"

"Until we make it to port," the Captain replied. "The ocean is our jurisdiction. Understand?"

"I understand," Misato replied. "However, I should remind you that in case of emergencies, NERV's authority exceeds your own."

"Nice one, Misato-san," Shinji whispered, smiling a bit, knowing she had gotten out of that conversation on top. His guardian looked back at him, giving him a friendly wink, smiling, which vanished immediately when another voice came in.

"Strong as always, eh, Misato?"

Everyone turned towards the doorway, only to see a man look at them. He had dark pants and black shoes, his shirt, unbuttoned slightly on the top, with his necktie hanging loose as he smiled. His dark green hair was done in a ponytail, and his chin had a few stubbles.

"Kaji-sempai!" Asuka declared as she approached the man with a wide smile.

"You okay… Misato?" Shinji asked, watching his guardian's face suddenly turn from calm, to disbelief, to pure abject horror.

"Mr. Kaji! I must insist you don't invite yourself in the bridge!" the Captain demanded, standing up, only to spot another presence in the corner of the bridge.

"Excuse me! Is this Tokyo-3?" Kima asked, looking quite confused.

"Who the heck are you!" the First Officer demanded, standing up as well. "Where did you come from!?"

"Kima!" Shinji suddenly declared, waving at the Lost Girl, who looked up, and spotted both her rivals looking at her.

"Sheesh, Kima. You really need a leash. You've been missing for quite some time!" Ranko declared.

"Shut it Saotome!" the Lost Girl replied angrily.

"Hey, look, Hibiki's back," Kensuke declared.

"Oi, Hibiki," Toji waved.

"Who the heck is that!?" Asuka demanded.

The Captain of the Aircraft Carrier, Over the Rainbow sat back down, rubbing his head with both hands, trying to massage out the migraine that appeared now that he had six kids talking at the same time. The conversations then became lost, and the only thing the captain could hear was white noise.

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"Sheesh, what's with that man?" Toji muttered darkly, thinking about the Captain of the carrier. He had demanded all of them to leave.

The group, along with Kaji and the newly arrived Kima began to walk the rather narrow metal hallways of the carrier towards the lift where they'd go down to the mess hall, after having been kicked out from the bridge by an irate Captain and First Officer. Asuka, walking front and center, stuck herself with Kaji, locking her arms to his, making the man feel somewhat uncomfortable. Misato just seemed to glare daggers from behind Kaji, while Kensuke just continued to record everything in his camcorder.

Kima, Ranko, Toji and Shinji were behind the group, with the latter three talking to Kima, wondering where she had been. The Hibiki girl wasn't much help with names, but from what she described, she had been in Paris-2, Worchester-3, and Okinawa-5, and even had a few souvenirs.

"I wish I could travel around the world," Shinji declared with a hint of jealousy in his voice. "Uncle Ranma and Ranko did the same when they had their traditional training journey."

"Really?" Toji looked impressed. "Where'd you go, Ranko-san?"

"Eh… lots of places to learn new techniques," Ranko shrugged. "India, Thailand, Russia, China mostly. It's a family thing. Grandpa did the same to pops, and pops then got me along, as I am the heir of the Saotome Anything Goes School. From stories though, I think I got it easier than pops. At least I wasn't engaged for food."

"Engaged… for food?" Toji asked.

"Long story," Shinji replied, smiling a bit. "Lets just say Uncle Ranma hasn't exactly had a calm and peaceful life."

"That's an understatement…" Ranko muttered darkly. "Good thing he settled things… if not, I would have had a different mother."

Toji blinked, but didn't ask anymore. Good timing too, because Asuka had reached the lift, and called it up, and then shouted to those behind her, "Hey! Hurry it up!"

When the lift arrived, the group realized it wasn't exactly large enough to fit all of them. Kaji, Asuka, Kensuke, Misato and Toji were already a tight fit, leaving Shinji, Ranko and Kima outside.

"We'll just use the stairs," Shinji stated calmly.

Misato, still looking a bit put-off by the company, shook her head. "Shinji, don't worry. I'm sure you can fit in."

He just smiled at that, and said, "I don't think so, Misato. Don't worry. I'm more used to the stairs."

"But…!"

"You'll be fine!" Shinji declared with a smile as the elevator doors closed, and moved downwards. Misato frowned, and looked rather put-off, making Kaji blink.

The conversation between the Third Child and Misato had displayed an underlying notion between the relationship of the two, which he was growing more curious about. He knew they lived together… he was good at gathering information even from far away, but their relationship? He planned to tease them a bit later, maybe see if they would reveal anything new about Misato since they had last seen each other.

"Che…" Misato muttered, and glared at Kaji, who backed away a bit. "Why the heck are you doing here, Ryouji?"

"I'm Asuka's companion for the trip," Kaji replied easily, smiling.

"Should have known," Misato muttered. "I've been careless."

"Oh, don't be like that, Misa-chan," Kaji teased.

"Don't call me that, Kaji. I'm not in the mood, so shut the hell up," Misato declared, so angry that the man obliged.

The lift arrived at the Mess Hall, surprisingly with Ranko, Kima and Shinji waiting for them. Asuka grabbed Kaji's arm, and dragged him away, later followed by Kensuke, who continued to tape his surroundings, then Toji, who was joined by Ranko and Kima, chatting. Shinji was about to join them when he felt Misato's arm hook under his chin.

"Misato-san?" Shinji asked. She didn't answer, her face rather severe. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing," she stated softly.

"Misato-san… you know, if you say 'nothing' in that kind of tone, you might as well be shouting for attention," Shinji declared playfully.

The woman laughed immediately. The arm she had used to hook his neck released him, and came on top of his head. Her hand began to mush Shinji's hair, who just smiled at her actions appreciatively.

"You know… I can hear myself saying that," Misato declared. Her smile vanished once more, and looked towards the Mess Hall doorway, where the gang was still walking in the hallway. "Its Kaji Ryouji. He and I have a… history, together."

"Want me to kill him?" Shinji asked with a nonchalant yet obviously joking tone.

"Would you?" Misato continued to pet her care. "You're the best, my little samurai."

"I'm not that little…" the boy whined, though he was smiling widely.

Kaji stole one last glance towards Misato and Shinji before they arrived at the mess hall. Now he really wanted to know what was between them.

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"So…" Kaji began, looking at Misato and Shinji, who both were sitting together, discreetly. Now that everyone was at the Mess Hall, seated and relaxed, he dropped a little bomb to see if he could see their reaction. "Shinji-san… I hear you bunk in with Misato here."

"Yes, I do," Shinji replied, sipping some tea.

Kaji smirked. "Tell me… is she still wild in bed?"

Misato spat out the beer she was drinking (she does that a lot, doesn't she?), while Asuka looked at Kaji, wide-eyed and somewhat scandalized. Toji and Kensuke both looked at Shinji, the former being filled with a bit more doubt than the latter, who just raved at Shinji, shouting that he was the luckiest man on Earth. Ranko and Shinji calmly looked at each other, seemingly neutral, but Kima read their subtle expressions, groaning, knowing what was coming next.

"Oh my… actually, yes," Shinji replied, watching Kaji's smirk turn to a rather sickly expression; the one that you'd see on a kid when they find out Santa Claus wasn't real. Apparently, he wasn't exactly expecting that answer… or maybe any answer.

Misato was about to protest when Ranko grabbed the woman's hands. Looking at the red-head, who shook her head slightly, she settled down, wondering what the boy was up to.

"Ye…yes?" Kaji asked, still looking shocked.

"Quite," Shinji nodded serenely. "Also wild in the closet, the carpeted floor, the kitchen, and I'm pretty sure she is also wild in the couch."

"Oh God!" Kensuke was enjoying this.

"What the hell…!" Asuka looked dumbstruck.

"Um… that's… good, right?" Kaji began to flush. Maybe he shouldn't have asked…

"Not really," Shinji replied with mock exasperation. "I spend hours cleaning up."

"Oh God!" Kensuke declared once more.

"I mean, Misato's a mature and quite a capable woman," the Third Child continued, ignoring the shocked faces of almost everyone around him, "but she seriously needs to learn how to clean up after herself. Her bed's a mess, she leaves her laundry at her floor, just grabs her stuff from the closet, and leaves beer cans all over the place. Mostly on the kitchen counters, and lots of junk food on couch."

Kaji blinked, and blinked again. He looked at Shinji, who seemed to glance towards Misato, who looked half-relieved that the boy was joking, and half-angry that he just called her a slob. An honest opinion, but she still had an image to keep with the other boys like Toji and Kensuke (not that they mind, really as they know she's one). Asuka just looked confused.

"I don't get it…"

Misato slapped Shinji at the back of his head gently, looking a bit annoyed. "It means Shinji here was just pulling Kaji's leg here. By the way, what the hell were you trying to pull, asking a question like that?" she demanded towards the man.

Kaji tried to laugh it off, but even Misato smirked to see how much affected he was by the boy's little joke. "She hasn't changed at all, has she?" he asked towards Shinji.

"I wouldn't know Ryouji-san," Shinji smiled. "But I like her the way she is."

"Heh," Misato patted the boy's head, copying his smile and directing that to Kaji. "Why can't all men be like you, Shin-kun?"

Kaji looked a bit put-off. Kensuke too. Toji stopped caring when he and Ranko began to discuss their next trip to the arcade. Asuka looked bored, while Kima just shook her head with a smile, knowing full well the man just got burned.

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Kaji sighed as he went outside the Mess Hall, getting some fresh air. The whole thing didn't go as planned. He still had no idea what the true nature of Misato's relationship with the boy was. One thing was obvious though… the woman liked him. A lot. Spending their college years together, he could read her like a book. The real mystery lay on Shinji, who was almost impossible to read.

"Kaji-sempai?" Asuka asked as she stepped out of the Mess Hall as well.

"Hey, Asuka," the man greeted. He wondered whether she would ask his opinion of the boy, knowing full well she had a biased opinion about him already, but did so anyways. "What do you think of the Third Child?"

"He's a weirdo," the red-head shrugged. "He has that Chinese shirt, then wears casual black jeans and rubber shoes, and has that toy katana strapped on his waist! Its like he doesn't know what theme to pick."

Kaji blinked, then chuckled. He knew it. She was beginning to psyche herself against a potential rival pilot. He didn't even have a heart to tell her that his sword may actually be real… she'd find out, he thought.

Instead, he just added more fuel to her fire. "Well… he did beat his first Angel without prior training of the EVA… plus I heard his highest sync rate was a hundred percent."

Asuka blanked out for a moment, and then looked angry. Really angry. Cursing with a few choice German words, she hurried away.

Predictable Asuka, Kaji thought as he smiled, looking at the sea.

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"Third Child!" Asuka suddenly demanded when she caught Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, Kima and Ranko, who was leading the Hibiki girl around. "Come with me!"

"Uh…" Shinji looked at his adoptive sister. Before he could even react, Asuka just grabbed her hand, her face threatening him to obey her, or else.

"Now."

Ranko just nodded. "Its fine, little brother. Just remember… if she wants to play doctor, you say no."

"Yes, big sis…"

Asuka didn't comment, though her face was red with rage. She just dragged Shinji away from the group, Toji and Kensuke seemingly saying silent prayers towards their friend.

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The girl just forced Shinji on a boat ride towards another carrier which was transporting her EVA Unit, covered in an enormous cloth. The boy said nothing during the trip, and just smiled there. Asuka dubbed it 'creepy', but that didn't stop her from dragging him to brag about her Unit-02.

"Well, what do you think?" Asuka asked, looking towards her red EVA Unit proudly.

"Oh my… I wish my EVA was colored better," Shinji replied, looking pretty impressed. "Mine's purple… and green."

"It's not just about the paint job!" the girl declared, again, angrily. It was ticking her off… this unassuming boy with a weird sense of fashion, plus the fact he did nothing but insinuate of her being a pervert with his even weirder sister had grated her nerves. She almost wished the Third Child had been some sort of bumbling introvert who always kept apologizing!

"Unit-02 is created for actual combat, the world's true first Evangelion! Unlike Unit-00 and Unit-01 who were developed as a prototype and as a test unit respectively," Asuka declared. She then sneered a bit, adding an insult, "The fact that the Test Unit synchronized with an untrained pilot like you is proof of its inferiority."

Shinji blinked, and stared at the girl, his smile fading. "Sohryu-san…" he called.

"Yes, Third Child?" Asuka replied with a mocking smile.

"What you have said may be true, but my Unit-01 has saved my life, and fought with me against the Angels, killing three of them. How many has your 'superior' unit killed?" the boy asked.

Asuka's superior mocking smile vanished, her face turning red again with anger. Shinji just looked at her without outward emotion, though he knew he had insulted her rather deeply. He didn't feel sorry, though. She had insulted his partner ignorantly, and he wouldn't put up with that. The confrontation seemed imminent, with Asuka's fists were closed and shaking.

Her face was so easy to read… what Shinji had said was the last straw for her. The boy himself wasn't going to back down, though he was more worried of hurting her if she would ever come at him for blows, but before anything could happen between them, a slight tremor strong enough to shake the carrier interrupted them.

"What the… an undersea shockwave?" Asuka looked thoughtful. "There was an explosion nearby!"

Rushing out from under Unit-02's enormous covers, Asuka and Shinji looked out to see a battleship blowing up, and the water making waves, and another battleship blew up.

"I think that's an… Angel."

"A real one?" Asuka looked dumbfounded, then happy. "A real one! That's great! This is my chance!"

"You, Sohryu-san, need help," Shinji replied at her, dead-panned.

"Never mind that!" the girl suddenly grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the stairs. "Stay here!"

Leaving him to sit at the stairs, Asuka went down one level, and stripped herself off her clothing. Outside, she could hear the explosions. She checked to see if the boy had been peeking, only to be slightly disappointed his hair was nowhere on sight. Wearing her red plug suit, she pushed the button at her wrist, making the suit hug on her body tightly.

"Here we go…" she whispered to herself.

When she climbed the stairs, she spotted Shinji relaxing on a step, looking at her with an appraising eyebrow, then just smiled, shaking his head.

"A bit eager, aren't you?"

"Let me tell you straight, Third Child… I'm a better pilot than you!" Asuka declared, and threw him a spare red plug suit. "Wear this."

"Uh… why?" the boy asked, confused as he caught the suit.

"I'm going to show you how a real pilot does it," Asuka smirked. "And you're gonna take back your words, Third Child!"

"Ah…" the boy nodded. "Shouldn't we ask Misato-san first though before we… you know?"

"I'll ask her after I've beaten the Angel. Now, get that thing on! Unless your too embarrassed!" Asuka teased.

When he wore it she just shut up, face flushed. Shinji just smiled at her. Misato, Ritsuko and Maya seemed to have the same reaction first time he put on his plug-suit… even though the one he wore one wasn't as flattering, being anatomically incorrect for him, but his well-leaned muscles seemed to fix that, making the suit not all too unflattering.

Still, as uncle Ranma used to say… work with it. And work with it, he did.

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Back in the Aircraft Carrier, Over the Rainbow, the Captain growled as another set of missiles and torpedoes hit their mark, but their target just kept destroying more and more battleships.

"Why won't it sink!?" he whispered hoarsely.

Toji sighed. Just a few minutes ago, Misato had offered them her help in giving them information about the enemy, only to be shut down. The Captain of the ship was really getting to his nerves.

"Only an EVA can beat it," he declared loud enough for the Captain to hear. The man and his First Officer glared at him from over their shoulders, before looking back out.

Misato studied the Angel's patterns, and looked confused. The Angel seemed to be looking for something… and that confused her. At first, she thought it was Unit-02's presence that made the Angel appear, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Telex from Othello!" one of the radios suddenly blared. "It seems Unit-02 is activating!"

"What!?" the Captain and the First Officer looked surprised and less than pleased.

"Nice going, Asuka!" Misato exclaimed, smiling widely.

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After a slight delay (Shinji didn't speak German, so Asuka had to change the Interface of her EVA to Japanese), Unit-02 activated. Synchrony levels were unknown, though Asuka thought they were pretty high since the feedback was good. While she sat at the pilot-chair, Shinji settled behind her, his eyes closed, and besides him, his sheathed sword, which he insisted to bring.

Asuka shrugged, knowing a toy sword wouldn't really interfere with her synchronization. Shinji might though, but so far, she felt no thought noise, and he just sat behind her, quietly.

"Hey, Third Child!" she called.

"Hmm?"

"You are watching, right?" Asuka asked, not looking behind her. "If you aren't then don't blame me when you miss the show!"

"No worries, Sohryu-san. I'm watching."

"You better…" she looked away, trying to forget the very fit looking boy behind her.

Inside the EVA, a radio transmission entered. It was the Captain from Over the Rainbow.

"Unit-02! Cease activation immediately! That is an order!"

Another voice suddenly came over. It was Misato's.

"Ignore that order, Asuka! Kick the Angel's ass!"

"You're overstepping your boundaries, Captain Katsuragi! The EVA Unit and Pilot are still under my command!"

"This is an emergency you fool!"

Another voice came on… this time, from the First Officer.

"B-but… the EVA is using B-Type Equipment…"

"No swimming then, eh?" Shinji stated neutrally.

"No worries," Asuka grinned. "We're not even going to get wet."

"If you say so…" the boy replied.

"Shinji?" Misato's voice came over the transmission. "You in there too!?"

"I was dragged here, so… yeah…" the boy replied, though his tone was pretty amicable.

"Little bro… what did I tell you about being alone with her?" Ranko's voice suddenly came in.

"I'm fully clothed, big sis."

"Good. Keep it that way," Ranko replied with a hint of coldness. "And you, girly! I'm keeping my eye on you!"

"I'm not like that!" Asuka shouted.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

EVA Unit-02's first priority was to get to Over the Rainbow, where it had its power chord. Jumping from ship to ship, Unit-02 reached its location without even getting its feet wet. Plugging the power chord to its back, the EVA was now powered externally, and after arming herself with a progressive knife.

"Um… Sohryu-san…" Shinji finally spoke after being quiet and letting the girl pilot. "I hate to be a spoilsport… but I don't think a knife will be good for this-"

"Here it comes!" Asuka cut him off, grinning.

The Angel was huge, shaped like a blue-whale. While Asuka was busy trying to hold the Angel on as it jumped on the deck of the carrier, Shinji quickly scanned its body to see if the core was anywhere outside… no luck.

Asuka lost her weapon. It wasn't long before the Angel overpowered the EVA, and dragged it down into the waters, towards the ruins of the sunken city, deeper and farther away from the carrier.

"Cable's about to run out!" Misato's voice suddenly came in. "Brace yourselves!"

Asuka screamed slightly, while Shinji grunted as the EVA immediately stopped moving, jolting them from inside the Entry Plug, and they were left floating helplessly in the water.

"Move! Move!" Asuka growled as she tried to move the controls.

"It's useless," Shinji observed. "B-Type Equipment, remember?"

"What!?" Asuka looked forward, only to see the Angel racing to them. "Hey… hey… do something!"

"Like what?"

"You're the incredible Third Child aren't you?" the girl insisted.

"You make it sound like I'm Kami-sama," Shinji replied back, a bit exasperated

Then, the Angel opened its mouth, revealing a red orb inside it, and a whole rack of razor sharp teeth.

"Oh my… what big teeth it has," Shinji commented.

"Now's not the time to admire the enemy!" Asuka screamed as it caught the EVA on its mouth.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

At the Carrier, Over the Rainbow, Misato and the rest of the teenagers looked in disbelief as Kaji, riding a blue jet, flew away.

"He… ran away…" Toji declared it first. "He actually ran away."

"Ugh… if he did that back at home, he'd get his head bashed in, stripped to his underwear, and hung up on the flagpole at school," Ranko commented.

"I'm bringing him to Nerima-1," Misato promised, then sighed as her mind went back to the current problem. EVA Unit-02 was now helpless, maybe even swallowed by the Angel. What was she going to do?

Suddenly, the radio blared to life.

"Misato-san…" Shinji's clear voice was heard. Ranko and Kima suddenly looked up when they heard his tone. "The Core of this Angel is inside its mouth. I need you to drag us up, and we'll force it open. With our AT-Field spread out, I think we can kill it easily."

For a moment, Misato looked confused, then Shinji's little plan slowly began to play out in her mind. Her smile widened. The word 'Fishing' came to mind.

"We're going to need a powerful attack… and pretty accurate too," Misato muttered. "I guess we can use two battleships to shove themselves in the Angel's mouth, and fire off their weapons inside…"

The Captain and the First Officer looked at each other, their eyes narrowing slightly. They knew what was coming up next… the Katsuragi woman would be asking them for two of his ships, but Shinji suddenly spoke once more.

"No need for more casualties, Misato-san… is Ranko and Kima there?"

"Here little bro," Ranko replied.

"Me too Ikari…" Kima replied as well.

"I need an accurate shot… more penetrating power than concussion blasts," Shinji declared. "I'll be your beacon. It'll take one shot. Please make it count."

"Leave it to me," Ranko smiled. "Misato-san… what does this core look like?"

"It's a red… orb, I guess. Why?"

Ranko then grabbed a hold of Kima. "Come on, Lost Girl!"

"Hey…" Misato called, looking confused. "Could you explain what was that all about?"

Ranko just winked at her. "Watch us, Misato-san. You'll see."

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Asuka didn't want to speak. It was as if the boy suddenly transformed into someone else. His eyes were narrowed, his expression very serious as he looked in front of him, talking to Misato. The aura around him commanded no protest and her very still. Still… she wanted to ask.

"Third Child, I have no idea what your plan is, and even if I did, I want to know… how the hell are we going to force this Angel's mouth open if we can't even move?" Asuka demanded.

"Well… I've always been interested in this AT-Field," Shinji replied with devoid of emotion. "It has multiple applications, not unlike Ki."

They suddenly felt a jolt as the cable from their power plug was pulled, dragging them and the Angel upwards.

"Ki?" the girl asked, shaking slightly.

"I'll tell you about it sometime," Shinji replied. "If I'm correct, I can use the AT-Field to allow you limited movement. I need you then to open this Angel's mouth."

"You make it sound easy!" Asuka growled.

"Trust your companion, Asuka-san," Shinji gave the girl a slight smile, making her blush. "She's a fine one. She'll protect you."

"Who or what the heck are you talking about!?" the girl demanded.

"Unit-02," Shinji replied, before he closed his eyes. "Trust her… and conquer your enemy."

Asuka blinked and shook her head. This boy was really weird… but he was right about one thing. She had to conquer her enemy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

On the deck, Kima and Ranko both had their eyes close. For a moment, they didn't do anything. No movement, no words were spoken, nothing. Kensuke, Toji, Msiato, the Captain and First Officer just watched the two girls at their deck, wondering what they were going to do.

"I feel him," Ranko suddenly declared as she opened her eyes.

"Me too… he's coming," Kima opened her eyes as well.

"Well… let's go!"

To the amazement of everyone in the damaged bridge, the two girls began glowing.

"Holy…!" Misato declared.

"COOL!" Kensuke screamed as he began to record the whole thing. Toji just watched with amazement, speechless himself.

"Angel and EVA are surfacing!" the First Officer called, looking at their sonar equipment.

Unit-02 surfaced, its arms and legs were prying the Angel's mouth open. Ranko suddenly moved towards the left, while Kima went to the right, each of them pointing a finger towards the Angel.

"Don't shoot till you see the red of its orb!" Ranko chuckled.

"Ugh… and this EVA thing is red too…" Kima muttered. "Wait a minute… I see it…"

"Me too… lets go!" Ranko suddenly began to bathe in golden light, and in the amazement of everyone watching, Kima as well, though hers was green. The light then began to gather towards their fingertips.

"Shi Shi Hokodan Revised!" the Hibiki girl called.

"Moko Takabisha Revised!" the red-head followed.

"Precision Shot!" they both finished, and out of their hands, two compact gold and green balls of energy shot out at incredible speeds towards the prone EVA, and slipped through its body and just went straight towards the Angel's mouth, hitting its core, shattering it.

The battle was over.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The UN Fleet finally made it to port, and Ritsuko stood there, awaiting for his friend Misato to come down. Looking at her watch, she watched as excited sailors began to talk about their battle in the sea. She, of course, had known about the attack, but the details were vague. Kaji did say that the Third Child and Second Child seemed to have piloted Unit-02 simultaneously, so she knew she would be getting quite a good amount of data.

"I wonder if they are okay," Maya, who had prompted to join her sempai, commented.

"They'll be fine…" the faux-blonde, and looked back towards the port, only to gasp. "Good god."

Front and center was Shinji, wearing a red plug-suit, though he somehow removed its top. Over his shoulder, his sword was draped across it. Beside him was Kima and Ranko. Toji was beside the red-head, while Kensuke was beside the Hibiki girl, still recording everything with his camcorder. Behind them was Misato and Asuka, who seemed to be looking at Shinji's back.

"Oh my… Maya-san! Closet Hentai-san!" Shinji greeted, waving towards the doctor and her assistant. "Nice to be greeted by a friendly face," and then he passed them.

Ritsuko and Maya joined Misato and Asuka, and they looked towards Shinji's muscled back in silence.

"It should be illegal for a fourteen year old to look like that," Maya commented, blushing.

"It's probably steroids or something…" Asuka kept chanting. "Yes… steroids."

"I thought his plug-suit already made him look great… red seems to be a good color on him…" Misato seemed to comment. "No wonder he is good at-"

"Do not continue that thought," Ritsuko declared seriously. "Not a word."

Misato looked at Ritsuko oddly. Did the scientist have something against foot massages?

**To Be Continued…**

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_Author's Notes: _

_Next, Ritsuko finally gets her hands on Shinji, and explore his abilities with ki. Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter… took me a while. Its probably the longest one of this story I've written. Meh. I should have just split it to two parts. Later! _


	9. 1:8

Shinji and his two friends, Toji and Kensuke walked towards their school, having put the incident of yesterday behind them. The interest of topic was the new pilot for NERV, the Second Child, whom Kensuke and Toji found somewhat appalling, attitude-wise.

"I swear, if it weren't for you and Ranko, I think she would have been really overbearing," Toji deduced. "I haven't been slapped by a girl at my age."

"How about the captain of the swimming team for leering at her?" Kensuke pointed.

"Okay, okay. I haven't been slapped by a girl for something I didn't deserve," Toji corrected himself. He then looked at Shinji. "Plus, she's so full of herself. I heard the conversations you two had when you were piloting her EVA… I'm just surprised you weren't lashing out on her…"

"We were in the midst of battle," Shinji replied easily. "It would be somewhat detrimental if we just fought while we were being thrashed around by a fish-Angel."

"You're the man, Shinji," Toji shook his head. "If it was me, I would have been shouting my head off at her."

The boy just smiled at his friend. "I had training, Toji. First thing uncle Ranma taught me was half the battle was the state of your mind and emotions. Auntie Kasumi's sword-style demands a very even state of mind. I'm sure you'd be the same, if not better than me if you had been trained as well."

Toji rolled his eyes. He knew Shinji was just trying to raise his spirit, and appreciated it. Besides, nothing what Shinji said was wrong.

"Well… I'm just glad we don't have to see her again," Kensuke sighed. "I mean, she's got a killer bod, but once she opens her mouth as she looks at you… whew! Get out of the way."

"You know what would be funny?" Shinji smiled. "She'd actually enroll here. And worst yet, she'd be in our class."

"SHINJI!" Toji suddenly shouted, surprising the people around them as they spotted him put his hands on Shinji's shoulders, and began to shake. "Quick! Take it back! Take it back damn it!"

"Its too late," Kensuke sighed as his own shoulders slumped. "He said it. He actually said it. Let's just hope it doesn't jinx us."

"You guys are too jumpy," Shinji laughed. "I heard from Misato that Sohryu-san had already finished her studies and is a University graduate."

"For real?" Kensuke blinked, quite surprised. Toji also looked taken aback by that news, and the two boys had to smile.

That was, until Asuka Langley-Sohryu suddenly entered their classroom, and introduced herself. Toji and Kensuke immediately glared at Shinji, who gave them an apologetic smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh yeah, you know what would be funny?" Toji began, his sarcasm mixed with anger and annoyance. "If the red devil comes and lives with you. That would be really funny."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

At NERV, Misato blinked as she spotted paperwork on her desk stating that Asuka Langley-Sohryu was now going to live in her apartment.

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**Evangelion: Heart of a Warrior**

**1:8 – Scientific Curiosity**

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Ritsuko watched the screen of her computer without any outward emotion. She had worn spectacles, which reflected the video she was watching. She had downloaded it from a blog site called 'EVAFan4EVAH', a young correspondent, aged eighteen, that knew more than he should.

It was obviously the Aida boy's blog site.

The video she was watching though didn't have much Evangelion action. The battle took mostly at the ocean, with some very interesting data taken from the double synchronization of Shinji and Asuka with Unit-02. Once more, LCL oxygen levels had dropped rather significantly, and inside the entry plug, an odd but familiar energy signature appeared, though instead of expanding outwards, it just stayed there, maintained for the whole duration of the last minutes of battle.

No, what held Ritsuko's interest in video was Ranko and Kima's little light show. They had produced an energy ball that penetrated the Angel's core, and shattering it almost completely, yet kept everything else intact. In a week, NERV will finally get their second nearly intact carcass of the fallen Angel that had sunk on the sea. Luckily, it wasn't sunk deep enough that made the recovery impossible.

She sighed once more, and rubbed her forehead with her hand. The video didn't have any way to measure how much energy was used, and she was really antsy to get those results. It was Misato's fault… her selfish and perverted streak. Not only did she just use the boy sexually, but now she wasn't lending him to her.

She wanted to do so many things to him… strength test, speed tests, endurance tests. Oh yes… endurance test… she couldn't wait to stride his…

Ritsuko stopped herself there, and then snapped herself awake. She began to chuckle darkly. She almost fell at the boy's trap. He was trying to seduce her… what did that boy think of her? An idiot? No, no… one Ikari was already trouble for her, there was no way she was going to let another one mess her up even further.

"You think you're going to get your way with me, boy?" she growled darkly, chuckling even louder. "You will not succeed! You will not pass! You will not-"

"Rits… you need help."

The faux-blonde fell off her chair when she realized someone had entered her office while she was monologue-ing. Turning around, she saw Misato half-amused, half-angry at her.

"Damn it Misato!" Ritsuko shouted. "Don't you know how to knock!?"

"I did. Thrice," Misato answered with a grin. "Who were you thinking about? A young boy, Ritsuko? Surely I heard you correct when you said you wouldn't let some boy get his way with you?"

"Don't be silly, Misato," Ritsuko replied calmly, her eyes hard as steel. "I'm not like you, after all."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Misato grew angry, looking at Ritsuko balefully.

"Don't play innocent Misato."

"Wha… you… you know what, never mind," Misato growled, and slammed a paper at Ritsuko's desk. "Explain this!"

"What?" Ritsuko looked towards the paper. "It's a residence transferal paper for the Second Child."

"To my place, yeah, I know," Misato pointed towards the bottom. "See that signature? That's yours. You transferred her to my apartment."

"Are you angry I'm upsetting your little love-love suite?" the faux-blonde asked with a slight smirk.

"Har har," Misato laughed sarcastically. "I'm just upset you didn't even tell me. Does Asuka even want to live with me and Shinji?"

"She'll like it better than the dormitory here at NERV," Ritsuko replied, shrugging.

Misato sighed. "I don't know if I'm ready to take care of another teenager… I mean, Shinji's special. But Asuka… she's… well, she's different from him."

"True… hopefully it'll teach you to handle more responsibility. I mean, Misato, aren't you ashamed that a kid half your age is taking care of your needs?"

"Not really," Misato answered, unabashed. "It's because he's so good at it."

Good at it, eh? No, no, Ritsuko shook her head, trying to get those thoughts out of her head. Looking at Misato, she then asked her, "When are you going to lend him to me?"

"Are you still on about that?" Misato asked, putting her arms on her hips. "Ritsuko… I know being cooped up in here makes women lonely but you really ought to find someone more of your age."

"Speak for yourself," Ritsuko replied with a miff. "I hear Kaji's staying around."

"Oh Kami, don't remind me… frigging coward," Misato growled. She then looked at the faux-blonde and nodded, "Fine. I'll ask him."

"Alright," Ritsuko accepted that. "By the way, you may want to go home. I asked Section-Eight to help move Asuka's stuff to your apartment. You may want to let them in."

"I didn't even agree on letting her stay yet," Misato frowned, but nodded as she left the office. She wondered how she was going to break this to Shinji?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What a freakazoid…" Asuka muttered, probably the sixth time, Shinji guessed.

Asuka was talking about Rei of course. Earlier, during lunch time, the Second Child finally met the First Child sitting in a very isolated area away from crowded areas, eating a bento box made by Shinji. She had introduced herself as the Second Child, and then proceeded to offer her hand to Rei in friendship. Rei, being Rei, just shot her down with these words:

"If I'm ordered to, I will."

Toji and Kensuke got a laugh out of that one. They were late for the next class, and were found in the bathroom, laughing up a storm. Of course, right now, when Asuka just went along with them as they left school, they were still as statue, though they kept chuckling every time Asuka would say 'freakazoid'.

"And why are you two stooges following?" Asuka suddenly asked, the chuckles getting to her.

"We usually go with Shinji," Kensuke shrugged.

"Why? You two are his followers? What was that name they call you at school, Ikari? Tokyo-3 Swordmaster?"

"Its Tokyo-3 Samurai," Kensuke corrected, a bit annoyed that Asuka mistook the name he had spread.

"Whatever," Asuka said dismissively. "So?"

"Actually, we usually hit the arcade after school," Toji answered, which was an honest reply. "We're just going to pick up Ranko and see if she'd like to join."

"Ranko?" Asuka blinked. "Are you guys stupid? What kind of girl would want to play a bunch of stupid video games with a bunch of perverts like you?"

"Why are you following us, then, Sohryu-san?" Shinji intervened when he sensed Toji was about to reply unkindly.

"Yeah, why are you following us?" Kensuke asked.

Asuka just smiled. "You'll see."

The mystery of Asuka's trip with them came to light when they finally arrived at Misato's apartment, and it was open, revealing the apartment that was suddenly filled with boxes. Toji and Kensuke looked at the site with a curious gaze, while Asuka watched Shinji's reaction.

The boy looked absolutely shocked.

Asuka smirked a bit. The boy must have caught on… yes! Asuka Langley-Sohryu was moving in. Did the boy think she was taking his place? That he would have moved out? It must have went to his mind, because that face was just absolutely priceless. Looks like the oh-so-perfect Third Child isn't so perfect at all!

"Kami-sama! What a mess! I just cleaned this apartment three days ago!" Shinji shouted, making Asuka suddenly fall down the floor.

"That's it!?" Asuka shouted as she stood up.

"That's it… what?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Asuka shook her fist. No, she thought as she forced herself to calm down. The boy was obviously trying to infuriate her, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. So he wants to play ignorant eh? Then it was time to lay those cards on the table.

"Third Child, you've been passed for the newer model," Asuka pointed at herself. "I'm now moving in here."

Shinji paused, and then looked at Toji, who raised his arms.

"Hey, I didn't know man!" he stated.

"I think you just convinced me not to start my sentences with 'You know what would be funny…'," Shinji replied solemnly. "Unless I want them to happen of course."

"What are you morons talking about?" Asuka demanded.

"Irony," Kensuke replied with a slight smile.

Entering the now cramped apartment, the group finally spotted Misato, Ranko and Kima in the kitchen.

"Oh, you're back," Misato stated with a sigh. She looked at Shinji, who looked slightly put-off. "I guess you know eh?"

"Sohryu-san is moving in, yes," Shinji replied neutrally, though now his eyes went to the door, where even in the corridor, he could see stacks of boxes lined there. "She was also hinting I'm to move out."

"Like hell you are!" Misato suddenly declared, surprising almost everyone in the room with the vehemence at her voice. Catching herself, her face flushed, and then spoke in her normal tone, "I mean… she's just pulling your leg. It was jumped on me, Shinji, so don't get mad, okay?"

"I know she was pulling my leg, and I am not mad," Shinji replied with a slight smile. "Just annoyed I have to clear the whole mess again, and clean up again. Our little haven was so clean just yesterday…" and he sighed. "I have to start now if I want to leave later..."

"Wait, Shinji, you don't have to…" but she didn't finish as Shinji left the kitchen, shutting the door behind him, leaving his classmates, friends-slash-adoptive sister and guardian in the kitchen. Later, they heard the boy speak, in his usually calm if not cheery voice:

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Kasumi Style… ultimate 'Just Moved In' organizer!"

"Oh, he's using that?" Ranko was the first to speak, and drank her tea. "Guess he should be done in about five, four, three, two, one…"

The kitchen door slid open, revealing Shinji in an apron over his clothes, somewhat dusty, and with a feather duster in his hand.

"All done," he declared with a smile.

"Right on time," Ranko clapped her hands.

Misato, Asuka, Toji and Kensuke blinked, and then slowly looked towards the hall. Just a few seconds ago, it was lined up with boxes that cramped the walking area. Now… nothing. The boxes were gone. In awe and disbelief, they began to move out of the kitchen, and saw that it wasn't the hallway that was clean… the whole apartment was spotless once more, without a trace of cardboard around.

Kima was the only one, other than Ranko, that acted like everything was normal.

"Alright, Third Child…" Asuka started, her face of disbelief turned to one of anger. "Where the hell did you throw my boxes?"

"Throw?" Shinji asked, looking innocent.

"Don't give me that!" the Second Child growled. "There is no way you could have cleared and organized my boxes fast! You must have thrown it all outside or something!"

"Heh… this is Shinji's specialty, other than his sword skills that is," Ranko intervened, smiling. "My mom's a neat-freak, and she uses her speed training to do cleaning and organizing around the house. She taught Shinji everything he knows."

"Bull," Asuka muttered.

"Most of your stuff has been unpacked at your room, Sohryu-san," Shinji pointed towards the guest room. "Hope you don't mind me putting most of your least worn-looking clothes in the closet. I left your delicates in its boxes. You can arrange those by yourself."

Asuka sneered, looking at Shinji, doubt still on her face. Forcing herself towards the guest room, she had expected all her boxes to be cramped in the smaller room… but when she opened it, the whole room miraculously became rather spacious, re-arranged in a way that maximized its spaces, with an extra steel shelf that held some of her boxes, neatly stacked, and some of her clothes.

She also had a desk, and her bed was made as well. The room looked good… great, even.

"Behold, the power of Shinji!" Ranko grinned.

"Impossible… it's impossible…" Asuka just chanted.

"Heh… impossible is something you'll keep seeing quite a lot these days," Misato muttered as she sank another can of beer, shaking her head. She too found the whole spectacle just out there, but then again, when you witness two young women defeat an Angel using an energy ball with their hands, the level of improbability you take in pretty much expands to a level that something as a super quick one-man organizing event was just a regular day at work.

Speaking of work…

"Hey, Shin-kun," Misato called. "You busy today?"

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Ritsuko should have been smiling when Misato returned with Shinji… except she had companions. Ranko and Kima, wearing the very rarely worn 'NERV Visitor' Badges (only those of military background, and higher ranking at that wear those) in their shirts. Misato had that apologetic smile she usually wore when she had messed up. Makoto would say that smile was highly amusing, and somewhat funny.

If so, Ritsuko's expression stated so clearly that she didn't get the joke.

"What. The. Hell!?"

"I was just going to bring Shin-kun, I swear!" Misato declared. "But, when I told him you wanted with him, they insisted coming along."

"You're being controlled by a bunch of kids, Misato!" the faux-blonde muttered, still angry.

"Actually, Misato wanted to help your research with Ki," Shinji defended his guardian with a slight smile. "In all honesty… big sis and Kima are one of the forefronts of Ki usage. Even uncle Ranma thinks they'd surpass him and uncle Ryouga, Kima's father, in Ki usage and adaptation."

"Yup," Ranko declared confidently. "I have created fifty variations of my Moko Takabisha."

Kima just snorted. "You don't even use more than ten variations."

"Hey, not the point, Lost Girl!" Ranko replied. "You're just mad because you only created thirty variations of your Shi Shi Hokodan. And most of them are more useless than mines!"

"What! Take that back, you…!"

"Kima! Ranko!" Shinji declared suddenly, making the two young women blink, and look at him. "Please save it for Closet Hentai here."

Ritsuko just sighed, her palm over her face, while her other hand was squeezing tightly to a fist so hard that a little more force, she would have drawn blood.

"Come this way… please," she whispered.

Ritsuko led them to a rather spacious room, all filled with various machinery. Shinji could guess what some would be used for, but others were looking pretty 'out there'. On one corner of the room was a large console surrounded by a protective shield of glass and metal, with thick wires all connecting to the different machines.

"Wow…" Misato declared as she looked around. "Isn't this the Unit-00 reactivation room?"

"Yeah, actually," Ritsuko muttered as the two adults began to walk towards the console. "The equipment here were mostly unused and I tweaked them a bit to help in our little study."

"How?"

"Well, from what I read, this bio-energy, or Ki as they call it, enhances a person's strength, endurance and speed. Most of the equipment here will help me measure those facets. It was supposed to be for Shinji only… but… oh well."

Misato spotted something in her eye. Pointing towards that machine, she asked her friend, "That machine… what is it for?"

The machine in question looked like a revolving metal bed with restraints for the arms and hands.

"That measures endurance," Ritsuko replied easily.

"It looks like that old torture device of Section-Two that sends out electric volts in a person… wasn't that decommissioned by the UN?" Misato asked.

"It measures endurance," Ritsuko repeated, somewhat more thickly this time. Then, she looked at Shinji and the others. "Let us start, please, people. Shinji, please go to that machine please."

Shinji, Kima and Ranko both approached the machine that Ritsuko was pointing. It looked like a metal plate wall with a cushion, with a small red square in the center.

"Punch the center, please. As hard as you can."

"Sure," Shinji declared, and immediately hit the pad with his fist.

Behind the console, Ritsuko blinked suddenly as a number came up. Misato also looked a bit dazed.

"Is… is that pounds per square inch?" she asked.

"Yes…" Ritsuko replied, her jaw agape. The numbers were impossible, especially with Shinji's build and age. And to make it worse, Ranko declared with a rather confident voice:

"What kind of punch was that?" the red-head declared. "You didn't even put your back to it!"

"Sorry… I'm more used to my sword," Shinji then looked at where the adults were. "Hey, can I attack with my sword? It may get better results…"

"Um… sure, I guess…"

Shinji smiled, and took a stance, his legs spread with his right hand going for the hilt of his katana. Taking a deep breathe, the boy then suddenly charged in, leading with his right side. Stepping on his right foot, Shinji unsheathed his sword, and struck the red square with a blinding slash. Ritsuko and Misato looked at the numbers on their console, and just blinked.

"That was three… no, wait, four times stronger than his punch," the faux-blonde muttered.

"No kidding…"

Ranko still didn't look impressed. "Just a regular battoujutsu? Didn't you develop one with a slight spinning variation to add more force?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not that accurate," Shinji replied with a slight blush.

"Yeah, well, stand back," Ranko declared as she began to pop her knuckles. "RAH!"

Ranko twisted her body as she punched the machine, which shuddered at her strike. Ritsuko and Misato behind the consoles just looked thoughtful, as they began to record the data.

"How was that?" the red-head asked.

"Um… good," Ritsuko muttered.

"Kami-sama… they are monsters…" Misato whispered beside his friend.

"Shhh!" the faux blonde hushed her. "Don't get them mad at us!"

Then Kima came up next. Unlike Ranko though, she didn't do anything fancy. She just hit the center with a punch much like Shinji did, though if one looked closely, there was a slight twist with her wrist and shoulders. When her fist hit, the machine flew away, ripping out of its base like it was made of aluminum foil.

"Kima!" Ranko shouted suddenly. "You put your full power in that, didn't you?"

"I thought that was what we were supposed to do?" the Hibiki girl looked nonplussed.

"Yeah, sure, but our full power with such a machine would break it so easily! Try being more understanding next time!"

Misato began to sweat. "Ranko… do you mean you didn't put all your power in your punch?"

"Nope," Ranko shrugged. "Back at Nerima-1, Setsuna has better equipment to test out full strengths. Even Shinji could have hit harder, but we didn't want to break your stuff… so… sorry about that."

"Setsuna?" Misato asked.

"Setsuna Kuno," Shinji replied immediately. "She's got the best equipment to measure progress of a martial artist. Not even uncle Ryouga could break them."

"Papa did try though," Kima smiled a bit. "Almost succeeded too. Anyway, I'll be careful next time…"

Ritsuko just looked at them, stunned and silent. She then waved it off. "Alright… next test then."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Misato had to say it when all the tests were done.

"You guys are freaks…"

Ranko just laughed. "Yup, we kinda are, I guess… unless you lived in Nerima-1 for most of your life."

Ritsuko just studied the data. Her first hope was to see how much stronger they were compared to fully trained soldiers, or even some well-known record holders. In the end, she couldn't. Shinji, Ranko and Kima had far surpassed 'human limits'. It defied all her expectations. In the end, she was just forced to compare the data against all three of them.

Hands down, Kima was the strongest of the bunch. Even with the second strength test, all her data stripped Shinji and Ranko by miles. The clincher was the arm-wrestling test, which she just slapped down their arms like they were nothing. Ranko was stronger than Shinji as well, which Shinji agreed whole-heartedly, saying he wasn't trained much in strength.

Endurance, once more, Kima just slapped them both down. She took hits that would have killed normal folk. It was particularly impressive when Ritsuko had to overload the interrogation-slash-torture-bed-turned-measuring-tool and Kima didn't even react as thousands of bolts just came at her body. Using that method, Ranko also scored a higher score than Shinji as well.

When it came to measure speed and agility, it was pretty much a fight between Ranko and Shinji. Running speeds, Ranko inches out Shinji, while at reactionary speed, Shinji just blew the red-head out of the water. Kima offered no challenge. While she was a good deal faster than some regular people, when she was being compared to Shinji and Ranko, she just couldn't cut it.

In the end, Ritsuko had to conclude the following:

Kima was the strongest and hardiest of the three.

Ranko was the most balanced of the three.

Shinji was the most agile, yet also the weakest of the three.

The three began to explain that all their attributes were all enchanced by Ki (or bio-energy as Ritsuko called it), and that their abilities are pretty much determined by their training methods. Kima was trained as a powerhouse, to give powerful hits and to take them as well. Ranko was raised to be adoptive, able to use different martial art disciplines as her core fighting style. Shinji was a more traditional student, raised to hold and use a sword, and the style he used focused more on speed than anything.

Now, the fun part came. The ability to manipulate bio-energy for external use… something the faux-blonde had been looking forward to quite some time. She had a lot of questions.

"So… bio-energy is generated through meditation?"

"Yeah," Ranko replied easily. "When your body is well trained and lithe enough, you can call forth your Ki by finding it through meditation. Our attributes are enhanced by Ki, so training our body can be considered part of Ki manipulation… but it is only in your body. To bring it out, you need a state of mind.

"My dad first learned that one can use one's emotion as a basis of Ki. The feel of energy flowing to one's stomach area, then pulling it outwards towards your hand… the problem was, using emotion as a basis of using Ki attacks made it quite unstable."

"What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked.

"Well… for example, my dad's Moko Takabisha was based on his confidence," the red-head offered.

"My dad's Shi Shi Hokodan was based on depression," Kima added.

"Depression?" Misato blinked. "Um… that's not very healthy is it?"

"No, not really," Kima smiled a bit. "Imagine trying to depress yourself every time you launch an attack. It affects your mental health, and it slowly cripples you from using Ki attacks."

"Depression I can understand… but confidence?" the faux-blonde asked Ranko.

"Well… confidence is nice, but when you keep being confident every battle… you tend to lose your 'edge', especially when things get a little bit too dangerous. Being confident in battle is one thing, but over-confidence will just ruin you," Ranko replied. "So after a while, our dads began to develop ways to summon Ki attacks without using emotion. They passed those methods on us. Our Ki attacks are not emotion based.

"Of course, those are just Ki blasts… there are more uses of Ki than those," Ranko continued. "For example…"

The red-head looked upwards, and she smirked. She raised her fist, and shouted, "Hiryu Shoten Ha!"

Kima and Shinji knew the attack, and braced themselves accordingly. Ritsuko and Misato weren't, and not expecting a large tornado to surround Ranko, the blasting wind pushed them both to the ground. When the wind finally subsided, the only words that were spoken were pretty much described the feelings of both women.

"Holy crap!" Misato shouted.

"Ah, that's nothing!" Kima suddenly went towards one of the walls, and placed poked it with her finger. "Bakusai Tenketsu Revised!"

The whole wall suddenly exploded outwards, spraying shards of metal, cotton and even concrete outwards. Again, Ritsuko and Misato looked completely disheveled by the amount of destruction by what they apparently perceive as a 'finger poke', and by Kima's disregard for having chunks of materials fly at her. She didn't even blink.

"Hah! Useless against opponents directly," Ranko smirked, then went towards a machine. "Here's something more impressive! Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

"Yikes…" Shinji began to sweat as Ranko's fist blurred, and the machine she began hitting was slowly being reduced to scrap. "Um… big sis… Kima…!"

"Che! How about some new techniques, Saotome… like this!" Kima then began to glow green.

"Fine by me!" Ranko suddenly began to glow in a golden light.

"Oh my… excuse me, Misato, Closet Hentai…" Shinji then grabbed the collars of the shocked Misato and Ritsuko and began to drag them away. "That's our cue to leave."

The whole NERV Headquarters shook, a shockwave that rocked everyone into an alert. It wasn't until thirty minutes later did the whole situation sunk in… and also completely destroyed the test site that Ranko and Kima were hot-dogging in.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Destroyed. A room that was built to withstand a berserk Evangelion was destroyed… by a bunch of kids," Gendo moved his hands slightly, his eyes visible over his orange tinted glasses as he stared at the somewhat ecstatic Ritsuko, and the rather disheveled Misato.

"Yes!" Ritsuko declared, nodding. "It was utterly amazing! They did things that… WHOOSH! And then their strength! Have you seen the Third Child move? He dodged pellets fired at him all directions, and those he couldn't dodge, he redirected with a simple slash of his sword! That Saotome girl created a large tornado and was able to punch like a damn machine gun! And that Hibiki girl… she just tore a wall with a frigging finger poke!"

"So, am I to understand that you, without my expressed permission, decided to use an EVA testing room, using NERV equipment to gather data on three kids, one of them being the Third Child, and consequently, that little gathering destroyed that said room, and the equipment?"

"Um… I… yeah…" Ritsuko replied sheepishly.

Misato looked at her friend with hard eyes. "You went about this behind the Commander's back?" she whispered harshly.

"It was for the data!" Ritsuko blurted out.

"Data which was destroyed along with the room," Gendo muttered. He shook his head. "We are humanity's last hope. Our job is to defeat the Angels. Please remember that before you start going around and wasting our time and NERV's resources. Dismissed."

Misato saluted, while Ritsuko gave a slight nod, before the two left the Command Room. When they were finally out of viewing range of the Command Room, the purple-haired Captain looked at her friend.

"Well that was a waste of time…"

"Oh shut it, Misato," Ritsuko muttered.

"You went behind the Commander's back. I mean… I bumble at times, and you go lecturing me about it… but what you did?" Misato shook her head, smiling a bit. "You could have been called in grounds of insubordination, or even treason. You're lucky commander Ikari seemed to be in a good mood."

Ritsuko snorted at that. Good mood… yeah right. The man was going to take it out on her one way or another, he just couldn't be bothered right now. And for what? All her data was lost… so what if she was able to finally witness all the bio-energy stuff with her own eyes? She had nothing to show for it.

"Damn… who would have known that behind those cheery exterior, we have weapons of mass destruction in each of them?" Misato whistled. "Not so much with Shinji. He may be the weakest of them, but he doesn't lose control of his emotion like those two."

"Of course," Ritsuko snorted. "Your Shinji-kun is a perfect man. He can do no wrong."

"You know, Ritsuko, I've had it up to here with your little stupid vendetta with Shinji. What the hell is your problem with him?" Misato demanded.

"I have no problem with him!"

"Yeah right… I saw your face when you got Shinji strapped in that electric bed!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"_Ouch… I'm at my limit," Shinji declared as his body winced at the voltage running through him._

"_Oh, I'm sure you can take in more," Ritsuko replied with a somewhat dark grin. "I'll increase the voltage just __little__ bit…" _

"_Ritsuko," Misato warned. _

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Ritsuko sighed. Yeah… she may have had that grin on her face when she realized she had the young boy strapped in a torture device at her mercy.

"He's a nice kid," Misato continued. "Wish you could see that."

"Easy for you… he is using your name most of the time… he still calls me Closet Hentai," the faux-blonde muttered.

"Maybe because he isn't comfortable around you yet or something," Misato sighed. "I mean… the boy isn't exactly an open book as he wants us to perceive him as much. He uses that stupid 'Oh my' expression less and less, and now he holds a more empathetic conversations with his friend or myself. The boy won't admit it, but's he's just shy. I guess I am lucky since I took him in."

"Yeah… and I am cursed to be insinuated as a pervert by him because he hadn't 'fallen in love' with me. You are so lucky, Misato," the faux blonde muttered.

"You still on about that?" the Captain shook her head. "I don't think Shinji's in love with me… or at least I hope so. I mean, we've gotten closer and all, but it was more of a friendship than anything. He's treating you the same way as he's kinda treating Asuka now… except minimal name-calling."

Ritsuko snorted once more. Yeah, only Misato would think having sex with someone will still produce something as simple as friendship. Of course, if only Ritsuko had known the truth (the fact that Misato and Shinji haven't exactly… well… touched, for the lack of better term), she may have listened. Instead, she just wanted to get out of this topic.

"Where's Asuka, anyways?"

"Left her in the apartment… she needed it," Misato shrugged.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Mien Gott… there must be something he didn't do right!" Asuka muttered as she began to open her boxes. Everything in there were clothes she hadn't bothered to wear for the past year, and some were too formal to even wear regularly. She then began to flip around her room, looking beneath her bed, and then, at the last point of desperation, swiped her fingers amongst the narrow crooks of the room.

Nothing. No mess. The whole room was clean, made, and comfortable.

"There must be something! There must!" Asuka declared as she began to roam around the room, looking for that 'something'.

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Back at NERV HQ, Misato and Ritsuko continued on their way in silence towards the Mess Hall, where they had left Kima, Ranko and Shinji after the whole incident. Misato then suddenly brightened up.

"You know what would be funny?" Misato asked. "If they destroyed the whole thing to cover for themselves."

Ritsuko blinked, and then looked up. "What the… that makes perfect sense!"

"Ritsuko… it was a joke," Misato muttered with a slight frown.

"It makes perfect sense why Ranko and Kima joined in!" Ritsuko stated, ignoring Misato's statement. "If they destroyed the data, anything we have seen or heard would have just been laughed up by the scientific community! Even those videos are nothing but considered well-made fakes! And when they realized I was going to expose them by using their weakest link, Shinji, they had to join in and make sure none of this gets out in the open!"

"Kamis, you're hopeless Ritsuko."

"I'm telling you, it's true!"

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At the Mess Hall, Shinji looked at Ranko with a slight frown.

"Was that really… necessary?"

"Just to be safe," Ranko shrugged. "If Setsuna got mad because we gave our data away, she'd have made my life…"

"And mine," Kima added.

"Yeah, and hers more difficult," the red-head concluded.

"You didn't have to obliterate the room, though," Shinji whispered.

"Eh, more convincing that way," Ranko shrugged. "If the blondie really wants the data, she could always ask Setsuna. Then, she'd have to sign a non-disclosure agreement thing. Besides… no harm, no foul."

"Of course… you're not going to tell her that, are you?" Shinji asked.

"Nope… and you better don't either," Ranko grinned. "Besides… I saw her face when she got you on that electric bed. She's a bit twisted."

"She just doesn't know how to deal with me," the boy replied honestly.

"She works for your dad right?" Ranko asked, and got a nod in return. "If she can deal with your dad, she'd know how to deal with you. Maybe you ought to show her how a real man does it, little bro."

Shinji just rolled his eyes. "Please stop setting me up with older women."

"You enjoy it anyways…" Ranko declared teasingly.

"As Ranko enjoys younger guys…" Kima interjected.

"HEY!"

"Or being single…" Shinji added. Kima just laughed.

"That one was below the belt!" Ranko screamed, trying to punch Shinji in the face.

**To Be Continued…**

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_Author's Notes: _

_Next Angel attack… and then… lol. I think I ran out of ideas. XD_


End file.
